I’m including a devotional today I wrote recently for stepparents. I hope you find it helpful.

When You Fail as a Stepparent, Don't Give Up

                “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  Hebrews 12:1

With tears in her eyes, the new stepmom described her recent trial. As she entered her home after a stressful day at work, her teenage stepson welcomed her with a disrespectful remark. She reacted in fury, saying words she wished she could take back before slamming the door as she exited the room. The fragile relationship spiraled further downward.

None of us like to admit that we fail from time to time. But, as imperfect beings in a sinful world, we can expect we will fail. What matters most is how we react when it happens. If we ask for forgiveness and seek a new direction, relationships can be mended. If we choose to learn from our failures and move forward, we gain strength and wisdom on the journey.

There are multiple accounts of human failure in the Bible, but the Apostle Paul’s description of failure resonates with me: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18)

I have failed miserably as a stepparent at times.  I have reacted with impatience, anger, and selfishness. I have allowed my needs to come before my stepchildren’s needs. But I refused to give up on my stepparenting journey when I made mistakes. I have chosen to move past my failures, asking for forgiveness from God and from my stepchildren, while seeking to change my ways with God’s strength and guidance.

Dear Father, give us the courage to keep trying when we know we’ve failed. Give us wisdom and perseverance to continue the course you have set before us. 

 

Picture by David Castillo Dominici

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