Teaching to Hear the Holy Spirit - Bravester

There is a voice in my sons’ heads–and it isn’t mine!

The boys I raised are now in their early 40s. I am learning the dance of letting go and shutting up and when they want to hear my voice. This dance will probably never be over until it becomes that time when they will become the parent to aged me.

As my sons are this age, I am seeing that there is a voice in their heads all of the time. The Holy Spirit has not let them go. From their own words, they constantly hear this voice.

Because I’m the greatest influence in their lives, this Holy Spirit voice tends to sound like me. But as I’ve lessened my “telling,” they are learning that this Holy Spirit voice is actually speaking to them personally. And they are listening.

Oh the joy to have that Holy Spirit voice not be my nagging voice. Oh the joy to know that my sons hear it and are obeying.

I want you to know that this one day will come for you. Now as a parent of your teen, I’m sure you are doing more “telling” than you would like. This is your responsibility while your child is still a minor.

(Check out our free resource, Parenting to Survive Failure.)

You are probably also quite worried that your teen won’t take his/her faith decision into adulthood so you are taking on the Holy Spirit’s role there too. Some days you are the Holy Spirit teaching discernment and wisdom. Some days you say things led out of your anxiety and not from a humble stance of learning. Those “telling” moments leave you with regrets once you realized that you let your anxiety lead.

I’ve had so many of these regrets. Yet somehow my sons can hear the Holy Spirit’s voice now and the Spirit doesn’t sound like me. I must have done something right. If you are feeling the holy tension of being the Holy Spirit’s voice to your teen, I believe you might be doing something right too.  

I give you this hope.