Susan LaffertyHot sun, blue sky. The ocean waves were high and constant at Kuta Beach in Bali that summer of my sophomore year in college.
It was a familiar place. Site of many family vacations. But no longer the empty beach of my childhood.
Tourists flocked there from all over the world. And hotels lined the ocean.
I remember the day it hit me. Specific prayer for my teen was a much more effective way to persuade her to do something. Words seemed to have little effect. Even triggered resistance. And created a rift between us, making matters worse.
But silent prayers by faith—with a sincere heart—brought change in a way my parental speeches had not.
And praying changed me. Helped me consider what was true. What was necessary. Brought back memories of my own journey in adolescence.
This experiment was a process. And led to a few practices that paid off in building relationships with our teens.