Preparing to Parent TeensSample

Day Four: Your Values

If our passion is the road we travel, our values are the guardrails. They define the way in which the route is traversed. Our values shape the decisions we make as we carry out our passions in life. And it all begins with our story. Donald Miller writes, “A person coming to understand their own core values is critical, I believe, to living a great story.” Do you know your core values?

As you prepare to parent teens, coming to understand your core values will show you why you’re making certain decisions and saying no to others. Better yet, it will explain why you’re inclined to one thing, but your close friend or neighbor is not. Why do you homeschool, but your best friend doesn’t? Why do you allow your tween to read one series but not another?

Romans 14:31 says “So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”

We started with your story, the place from which you launched. We talked about your passion, the road upon which you’re journeying. And now we’ve covered your values, the guardrails along the road that define the means by which the journey is traversed. And all this is merely to prime the pump as you prepare for a new stage in parenting. Remember, it starts with you.

Reflection: How would you describe your family compared to another family in your church? Could these differences merely be a result of differing values?