Pray for daughter who doesn't believe
By DR. BILLY GRAHAM
DEAR DR. GRAHAM: Our 17-year-old daughter says she doesn't believe in God anymore, and now she even refuses to go to church with us. When we try to talk with her about it we just end up in an argument. What can we do? -- Mrs. S.McD.
DEAR MRS. S.McD.: The most important thing you can do is to pray for her -- because only God can overcome her spiritual resistance and draw her back to Himself. Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44).
But you also can let her know you that love her, despite your differences -- and by doing so, you'll be showing her that God loves her also. Don't let your discussions degenerate into arguments; this will only make her more determined to keep her position. In other words, don't let this become a test of wills between you -- your will battling against her will -- because almost the last thing she wants to do right now is admit she is wrong. The Bible says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1).
Let me encourage you also to ask her why she has come to this conclusion. Has someone influenced her? Has she been reading one of the recent books on atheism? Atheism has become something of a fad in recent years, and this may have influenced her.
But the real reason, I suspect, is that she wants to run her own life -- and that's far easier to do if you push God out of your life. Help her realize what she's doing, and then warn her of the dangers. Above all, urge her to look at Christ, for He alone came "to bring you to God" (1 Peter 3:18).
Contact the Rev. Billy Graham c/o Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201, phone 877-247-2426, or see the Web site billygraham.org.
It's priceless in its raw condescension. See, all of us atheists are really only trying to exert our independence. We really believe in God, but he complicates our thinking, so we push him away. Those evil "atheist" books by Dawkins and Harris and Hitchens are the latest cool fad, so we're hip to that. Oh, brother.
4 comments:
Theism & simplistic 'solutions'.... Strange that they're so often associated together [grin]
Let me encourage you also to ask her why she has come to this conclusion. Has someone influenced her? could it be... SATAN?. Couldn't help it...
This is one of my biggest pet peeves with Evangelicals. I remember when John's brother said he'd "pray for me" because I wasn't a Christian and I was like "I don't need your f'n prayers you over-inflated windbag." I've been told I should take that as a compliment that someone cares about me. I disagree. I take it as someone with such a narrow worldview that their way can be the only right way.
My kid is in grade school and they are already a confirmed atheist. And it's not that you're-not-the-boss-of-me kidstuff. They're just reality-based.
Sniff... makes me proud! (shrimplate wipes away tears.)
Ah, the Church Lady. I hadn't thought about that for awhile. Very nice.
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