A teen experienced a real emotional and spiritual conversion, so powerful that she couldn’t stop herself from sharing it with her family. It all happened because she chose to trust her mother, who consistently loved and taught her.
Timestamps:
00:00 Trouble with angry, moody, defiant, disruptive 17-year-old girl.
00:59 Why it is hard to teach a child the rules to a happy life.
02:17 Teen’s response after many months of her mother’s consistent lovingandteaching.
04:52 A real emotional and spiritual conversion.
Transcript:
Angry Defiant Teen Daughter
For months I worked with a mother who described the difficulties she was having with her 17 year-old daughter, Elise, who was angry, moody, defiant, and disruptive to the entire family. If Mom dared to impose a rule or consequence, Elise cursed her and threatened to move out.
Gradually, Mom learned how to feel loved herself, and then she began to share that with Elise, while she also taught her the rules of a happy life. The road was bumpy, but Elise began to feel her mother’s love, and she resisted be taught less and less.
Teen Daughter's Conversion
One day Mom wrote me and described the family meeting they’d had the night before. She said that at the end of the meeting, without being prompted in any way, Elise stood and spoke to her younger siblings:
"I want to ask you guys something. Do you remember how bad I used to be? I used to be so unhappy, and I caused trouble in the family whenever I could. I started arguments. I bumped into you guys as I walked by, and I never said I was sorry. I yelled at you and used a lot of curse words.
"I was so angry all the time, and I blamed everybody else for how I felt. Everybody hated being around me like that, but I can feel that I’ve changed a lot inside, and I’m still working on it.
“The hardest thing was that I used to think Mama wanted to change me into this cooperative little robot, and I hated that. But then I began to see that she was actually caring about me, and helping me see that what I was doing that was hurting me. And she was RIGHT about my attitude and behaviors.
"They were not good for me, for MY happiness. It is so hard to hear these things about yourself, but as you learn to accept it bit by bit, you can shed the stuff that does not work. You’re not changing who you really are. It’s like you’re BECOMING who you are, and that works a lot better.
“So, if Mama tells you something about yourself, she is trying to help you. She sees you and cares about you, so listen to her, and the sooner you do, the easier it is.
"I like my life now. I used to hate my life. I didn’t want to get up in the morning. Now I WANT to get up in the morning. I can’t wait to enjoy the day. I like being loving and responsible.”
Conversion Comes from Trust
Elise experienced a real emotional and spiritual conversion, so powerful that she couldn’t stop herself from sharing it with her family. It all happened because she chose to trust her mother, who consistently loved and taught her. Sure, Mom made lots of mistakes, but those are UNAVOIDABLE, and she kept going.
Faith and persistence together produce a power that changes the world around us. We parents can follow the example of this mother. Our children can experience the miracle that Elise talked about.
