What To Do When Adult Children Choose a Different Path

Description

When our children “wander,” I feel how tender and humbling parenting becomes. They see the world differently, make choices we might not make, and sometimes we have to ask a quieter question: is this a real issue, or just our preference? In this message, I return to the image of the lighthouse, because “No lighthouse saved anyone running around a beach.” Our calling is steadier than control. It is to live the truths we hope they will trust, to offer a sense of a true north, and to help them build a house on rock before the storms arrive. Swedenborg reminds us that real spiritual growth happens in freedom, with divine order gently guiding us from within, so parenting cannot map every turn. It keeps a compass in view. With compassion, honesty, love, and authenticity, we keep pointing toward the foundational truths that help our children move forward in life, and then, with trembling hearts, we trust God with the path.