Is It Possible To Raise spiritually Resilient Teens?
As a mother of seven, I have experienced the struggles of raising teens. As a mentor to hundreds of parents, I know that this challenge is not unique. It can be even more intimidating to contemplate raising spiritually resilient teens in this chaotic and confusing world.
So, I am delighted to introduce you to a new book by Sharla Goettl, Spiritual Resilience: Leading our Youth to Go and Do. It is an excellent resource for any parent who is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ~ or who lives a Christ-centered life.
As many of my readers know, our family’s journey was not always easy. So, I resonated with this statement by Sharla found early on in the book – “Every member of Nephi’s family reached the promised land despite grave challenges and faithless missteps. That fact alone should bring us some hope, peace, and reassurance. Each of them certainly made mistakes, some very serious, yet still reached the promised land through repentance, forgiveness, and repeated efforts to be humble. It was a long process—a journey. (p. 9)
This quote came from the chapter on parental success. This chapter is a must-read for any parent who feels like a failure because not all their family members are spiritually in the same place. It puts a new perspective on parenting success. All those challenging years ago, this would have helped me.
I can’t count the number of times I have assured my readers that there is hope despite a sometimes rocky parenting path. Sharla’s book is filled with information and stories to give parents hope that they can raise spiritually resilient children if they stay the course, despite the challenges.
Yes, You Can Find Time For This Book – Such An Easy Read!
And for all you busy moms and dads, this will hearten you – Sharla’s book is easy to read and well constructed. I loved the chapter summaries at the beginning of the book, which help determine which sections are most applicable to your family right now.
Each summary consists of a few straightforward questions covered in that chapter. For example, Chapter one –
• How can I spiritually prepare for a future I can’t predict?
• How did Nephi’s parents support him in becoming what the Lord needed?
And I loved those found in Chapter 8 –
• What is it you want the very most?
• Do you know a better way to get it than through Christ?
The end of each chapter has its own summary and an area for notetaking. There is a quote before the note-taking section, which helps stimulate thoughts and impressions on moving forward. Experience has taught me that narrowing your plan of action down to a few simple, clear steps is vital to success when doing something new. This end-of-chapter summary helps the reader do just that.
I would encourage everyone wanting a more robust and better relationship with their children and their Savior to read this book and apply the principal’s inside.
Meet Sharla and hear her story:
* Don’t forget to check out the rest of the blog tour! Here’s the schedule so you can see other insights readers gained from this uplifting book.
- May 1 The Exponent
- May 2 Mary Ann Johnson Coach
- May 3 My Book A Day
- May 4 Grant’s Stuff
- May 5 Beware the Bookwyrm
- May 6 Singing Librarian Books
- May 7 Bookworm Lisa
- May 8 Bonnie Gets a Say
What a wonderful and much-needed book today! Thanks for a great review and for your constant reassurance and guidance to all of us parents!