Crossing Rivers – Instilling a sense of trust in the life of your tween

Written by Bob Bunn

A single person standing before an oversized obstacle with little idea on how to handle the situation. Sound familiar?

For parents of tweens, that might describe your life. While our kids deal with a haze of emotion and confusion, we’re at a loss for knowing how to help.

In our heads, we know about the changes our kids are experiencing and that things will get better. And in our hearts, we sympathize and wish we could make all these struggles go away.

But in reality, we aren’t sure which way to turn. The intensity of the moment leaves us feeling like we are on one side of a swollen river with no obvious way to get to the other side.

Maybe that is how Joshua felt at the edge of the promised land. I really like the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River in Joshua 3-4. The passage reminds me that God is in control of every situation. Honestly, the Hebrews probably could have crossed the river in their own power. But doing it God’s way, though, the obstacle was overcome much more quickly and in a way that both glorified God and caught the attention of their enemies.

Think about some of the rivers you and your tween need to cross, then answer this question: How are you going to get to the other side? Here are six basic principles from Joshua 3:14-17 that will help you and your tween remember to seek God’s help in overcoming whatever obstacles and difficult situations you might face.

1. God has to go before you (v.14).
   The ark of the covenant represented God’s presence among the people of Israel, so the priests had to lead the way into the river. As uncomfortable as our situations might be at times, we cannot get ahead of God and expect success.
2. God works in unlikely situations (v.15)
   The Jordan was at its highest point of the year, its flood stage. The task of crossing the river would have been more difficult at that season than any other. But God chose that time to work even when it didn’t make the most sense to human logic.
3. God still blesses obedience (v.15)
   God had a miracle in store, but the priests had to get their feet wet first. If they had not moved on God’s Word, God would not have acted in His power. We are called to live by faith, and our willingness to step out in faith will inspire our tweens to do the same.
4. God never leaves things half done (v.16)
   The cities where the waters were cut off or “massed” were 15 or 20 miles upstream from Jericho, so this was not a fluke. God dried things up so no one could question what He was doing. What makes us think that God operates any differently today? If we believe God has a plan for our lives and for the lives of our tweens, we have to believe He won’t take shortcuts along the way.
5. God stands with us in the river (v.17)
   The priests didn’t race across the dry river bed, wondering if they could make it before the waters came down. They stood in the middle of the river, so the people could see that God was with them as they crossed. You can encourage your younger youth to remember that God never leaves us. He has promised His presence – even in the middle of the river.
6. God works until the job is done (v.17)
   The writer says, “all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing.” The words “all” and “entire” remind us that God completes what He has starts. You and your tween can rest assured that He will finish the work He has begun.

Bob Bunn serves as the editor in chief of Living with Teenagers. He and his wife, may, are the proud parents of one tween and two more moving quickly in that direction.
 

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