Developing a Positive Identity - Part 2

Adolescence is often a blend of self-certainty and troubling confusion. Most children yearn to grow up and have more freedom, but freedom demands responsibility. For that reason it's not uncommon for teenagers to secretly yearn to return to just being a kid, where there wasn't so much responsibility and where the world seemed a safer place.

Most young people eventually get a grip on life that enables them to go forward and find where they belong. Fledgling self-certainty can be  strengthened by hope for the future and parents who encourage. A positive identity helps the adolescent separate and establish independence. Failure to do so indicates identity confusion and self-doubt.

If this is an issue, realize the Lord God is not the author of confusion. As you mature and become capable of managing what God delegates to your care, he provides clarity that conquers confusion. "Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." Choosing Christ Jesus gives assurance for a bright future that will be meaningful.  

From Industry to Identity - Part 3

Adolescence can be an awesome experience for teenagers and parents. Viewing a child's being transformed into a teenager may create uneasiness within the parents as the child begins to require more freedom and privileges. For both the parent and teenager, this developmental stage opens up opportunities for making choices that promise change.

Decision-making power is needed for a teen to begin separating and assuming more responsibility. Becoming independent is required for finding significance and personal identity. Conflict is to be expected, but how it's managed portrays the emotional health of a parent and teenager. The adolescent years involve laying a foundation for identity formation.

To a young Jeremiah, God said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." Think how encouraging  these words can be to anyone who personalizes them. Making choices with confidence is enhanced by knowing the Lord God is partnering with you to establish your identity.