Submit

"... you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

We all have authorities to submit to and most of us probably are an authority in one way or another. Either way, Peter reminds us here that all of us are called to humility.

Humility does not equalize authority, but it can open up a safe place. Use authority with your children, instead of against them. It is in the bending down to talk to a child, looking them in the eyes, instead of standing up towering over them. It is in the conversation, not the lecture. This is not lowering standards, not lowering expectations. This is not soft. This is not lowering authority.

Humility brings us together. Pride divides us.
When we submit to the Lord first, humility saturates our authority.

This is creating a safe place with your children. Talk with them, instead of at them. Explain why what they did was not the best decision for their hearts and help them understand what would have been the better way. If we want them to be afraid to talk to us, use authority against them. If we want them to talk to us, use authority with them.

Submitting to an authority because of trust is much more effective for our hearts than submission out of terror and fear.

(Of course, this is not the sure fire way to have your children talk to you. But creating a safe place, with authority, of humility and trust is much more effective than creating an environment of fear and distrust.)

Check out the video we posted today talking about how to guide our daughters' heart back when they've chased the world. --> https://www.facebook.com/GTalkMinistries/videos/181882853241016/

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You Just Wanted My Heart