Chin Up

Life is a constant challenge, every day, all the time. Things quit working, someone makes a mess, a situation just isn’t fair. But what can make it worse is children and adults who whine and complain all the time. The habit of whining and complaining turns quickly into an attitude of self-absorption, which destroys hope, light, and beauty.

We have the opportunity to work with our children in hard or unfair situations to help them learn to be strong and mount up over their difficulties. This is what character training is all about—helping our children become stronger one day at a time. It is our will that chooses to have faith in God, that learns how to persevere under trial, that chooses to love the unlovely, that shows generosity to the needy. The will is what makes heroes, strong marriages, and legacies of faithfulness.

As we gently enter into the recesses of our children’s hearts and understand their feelings, we can then teach them to be strong inside, but with tender, grateful hearts. Our attitudes are the place where real strength and spirituality are expressed. When we approach our children with attitudes of gentleness and patience, we lead them to embrace these same patterns.

His Promises

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.