Compliant Hearts vs Rebellious Hearts

Father & Daughter
by Allsa
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CC BY-ND 2.0

If you love me you will obey what I command. John 14:15

Compliant children obey the rules, keep the peace, and respect authority. They're agreeable, reliable and trustworthy, yet easily over-looked because they don't demand constant attention.

Strong-willed children break the rules, argue often, and question authority. They're disagreeable, demonstrative and usually nonconformists. They get all the attention because their behavior demands it.

As parents, we wonder how such opposite children came from the same lot.

7 Things We Learn When Kids Say No to God

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

His defiant teen aged hands gripped the mattress seam as I attempted to pull him out of bed one Sunday morning. His strength now surpassed my mama strength and I was quickly losing the battle. But it was more than just a war of the wills between a teenage boy who stayed up too late on a Saturday night and his church-goin' mama; it was a battle for his heart.

While he questioned God - His very existence - I thought I was losing him. His questioning caught me off guard and sent my head searching for all those right words that quickly disappeared behind mama-grief. As a parent, torn between guilt and anger, I felt betrayed by God.


(Although this was a recent post, I'm sharing this over at Christian Childrens Author's blog today in obedience to God's prodding; as though someone needs encouragement in this area).

Blessings,
Dawn