Christian parents and their children are bound to disagree at one point or another. Instead of trying to control their children's choices or 'cast judgment' at them, evangelist Billy Graham suggests that they should just pray for them instead.
"We can't always control what our children do as they grow older and become adults – nor should we. And even when they make mistakes or go against our advice, they are still our children, and we still love them and want what is best for them," he writes in an advice column for the Bowling Green Daily News.
Some parents might be tempted to cut themselves from their children's lives, but Graham asks: "What would be gained by this?" Being separated from one's children is never going to solve anything, and Graham says that it will only make the situation worse because alienation would ensue and reconciliation would be harder to achieve.
"Instead, accept the situation as it is. Rather than rejecting them or wishing ill of them, I challenge you to pray for them," Graham says. "God may answer your prayer in surprising ways – and even change your attitude."
Graham reminds Christian parents that God loves their children as much as He loves them, and He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine," according to the Bible verse Ephesians 3:20.
He also advised them to reach out to their children in the best way possible. "Not in an overbearing way, but simply to let them know you care for them and value them as part of your family," he says. "Encourage them also to put Christ at the center of their marriage. May this also be a time of recommitment on your part – to each other, and most of all to Jesus Christ."
