Do you yell at your kids?  I have three older teens and I find it challenging to not yell at them. I don’t think there’s a better way to turn them into other-centred, loving, responsible and engaged human beings?  If it works, why change it?

The problem is, yelling at my kids doesn’t seem to work at all.  Maybe there is a short term burst of action but things go back to “normal” fairly quickly. Sometimes my yelling not only doesn’t help, I think sometimes it makes things worse.

What if prayer works? I could pray that they become all they were created to be; that they catch and embrace their passionate purpose. I could pray that their hearts are won by God, for truly they will only be other-centred, loving, responsible and engaged human beings when he has their heart. Coincidentally, that’s also what it will take to get them to do chores, homework, even turn off the lights when they leave the room. And while I pray for them, I’ll pray for myself and my own heart, for my heavenly Father has certainly given me the gift of three children so that I might discover my own helplessness and need for his grace.