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 ministry located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded initially as Family Talk in 2010 by Dr. James Dobson, the organization 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 their website, mobile apps, and social media platforms. In 2017, the ministry rebranded under JDFI to expand its four core ministry divisions consisting of the Family Talk radio broadcast, the Dobson Policy and Education Centers, and the Dobson Digital Library.
Dr. Dobson's flagship broadcast called, “Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk," is aired on more than 1,500 terrestrial radio outlets and numerous digital channels that reach millions each month.
About Dr. James Dobson
Dr. James Dobson is the Founder Chairman of the James Dobson Family Institute, a nonprofit organization that produces his radio program, “Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk.” He has an earned Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and holds 18 honorary doctoral degrees. He is the author of more than 70 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, Bringing Up Girls, 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 in the divisions of Child Development and Medical Genetics. He has advised five U.S. presidents and served on eight national commissions. Dr. Dobson has been married to Shirley for 64 years, and they have two grown children, Danae and Ryan, and two grandchildren.
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