Right now our son is working outside of our area, so we don’t see him much. But, when he is around, like right now, I get very stressed out. He is home on a few days off, and staying with us.
I get stressed out because I see first hand the poor choices he makes, and how he basically throws my advice to him (given to him in love), right back in my face. I feel like he thinks I don’t know anything, and that I am pretty much stupid. I let it get to me, and my gut gets all twisted inside.
So, what do I do with these emotions? Well, first off, I should be praying about them, and this week, I failed at that. As a matter of fact, today at lunch, I found myself snapping at my wife. It’s not her fault! Her and I need to work on this together! And we both need to be praying, both for our son, and for both of us, that God would help us handle this load. And it is a heavy load. If you’re here because you have a child who is an addict, you know what a heavy load it is to carry.
The load is heavy because of our deep love for our son (or daughter as your case may be). Let me be clear, and say that these feelings are there because of my love for my son. If I didn’t love him, I’m sure I wouldn’t care what he did or what he thought of my advice.
When your son is an adult, the only thing you can do is love him! Well, 2 things. Pray for him OFTEN. I know I quoted this yesterday, but Philippians 4:6 says “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (ESV).
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