Devotionals by Dr. James Dobson
Refrigerator Art
A voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:11
Ellen, a thirty-four-year-old mother of three, enrolled in an art class at a local community college. One day her instructor announced that the assignment completed on the first day of class would be included in a notebook that was to be a major part of her grade. “May I do another project?” Ellen asked the instructor in an anxious voice. “I don’t have the first one anymore.” The instructor asked what had happened to the earlier work. Ellen replied with a trace of pride in her voice, “It’s on my mother’s fridge.”
Though your relationships with your children naturally change when they become adults, it doesn’t mean that you stop being parents. You can still look for ways to honor the achievements of your grown kids, to affirm their positive choices, to show your pride in the men and women they’ve become. When you do, you’ll find yourself developing new levels of mutual appreciation and respect with your maturing sons and daughters.
If our heavenly Father chooses to part the heavens to announce His pleasure in His Son (Mark 1:10–11), we can certainly make the effort to celebrate the accomplishments of our own children. You might start with that empty space on your refrigerator door.
Before you say good night…
- How will you show your grown kids that you’re still proud of them?
- In what ways have your parents affirmed you as an adult?
- How did those affirmations make you feel?
Father, critical, dishonoring words seem to slip so easily from our lips. By the power ofYour indwelling Spirit, help us by our words and deeds to build up, encourage, and celebrate our children…and each other, too, as husband and wife. Amen.
Listen to today's broadcast of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk at OnePlace.com. For more from Dr. Dobson, visit the resource center at drjamesdobson.org.
This devotional is taken from Night Light for Parents. Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
About Family Talk
Family Talk is a Christian non-profit organization located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2010 by Dr. James Dobson, the ministry promotes and teaches biblical principles that support marriage, family, and child-development. Since its inception, Family Talk has served millions of families with broadcasts, monthly newsletters, feature articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources available on demand via its website, mobile apps, and social media platforms.
The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI) is a Christian non-profit organization located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded initially as Family Talk in 2010 by Dr. James Dobson, the ministry promotes and teaches biblical principles that support marriage, family, and child-development. Since its inception, Family Talk has served families with broadcasts, monthly newsletters, feature articles, videos, blogs, books, and other resources available on demand via its website, mobile apps, and social media platforms. In 2017, the ministry rebranded under JDFI to expand its four core ministry divisions consisting of Family Talk, the Dobson Policy and Education Centers, and the Dobson Digital Library.
Dr. Dobson's flagship program, "Family Talk," is aired on more than 1,300 terrestrial radio outlets and numerous digital channels that reach millions of people each month.
About Dr. James Dobson
Dr. James Dobson is the Founder and President of Family Talk, a nonprofit organization that produces his radio program, "Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk." He is the author of more than 30 books dedicated to the preservation of the family, including The New Dare to Discipline, Love for a Lifetime, Life on the Edge, Love Must Be Tough, The New Strong-Willed Child, When God Doesn't Make Sense, Bringing Up Boys, Marriage Under Fire, Bringing Up Girls, Head Over Heels and, most recently, Your Legacy: The Greatest Gift.
Dr. Dobson served as an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine for 14 years and on the attending staff of Children's Hospital of Los Angeles for 17 years. He has been active in governmental affairs and has advised five U.S. presidents on family matters. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (1967) in the field of child development. He holds 17 honorary doctoral degrees, and was inducted in 2008 into The National Radio Hall of Fame. Dr. Dobson recently received the following awards: Winston Churchill Lifetime Achievement Award from the Faith & Freedom Coalition (2017), Daniel Award from AZ Christian University (2016), and the Defender of Life Award from the Justice Foundation (2015).
Dr. Dobson is married to Shirley and they have two grown children, Danae and Ryan, and two grandchildren. The Dobsons reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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