And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. (1 Samuel 3:8–9, ESV).
Many parents are completely blindsided by the teenage years. What they aren't prepared for is the difference between raising children and adolescents. The goal for each is different, and the difference often catches parents off guard.
When a child is young, they must be taught -- you teach them, you train them, you tell them the truth, you explain the Lord to them. But what is the goal during those adolescent years?
In 1 Samuel 3, young Samuel grew into adolescence, leaving childhood behind. And one night as he slept near the tabernacle, he heard the voice of the Lord. He went to Eli, the priest, and said, "What is it? Have you called me?" Eli told him to go back to bed, for he had not called him. This happened a few times until Eli realized it was the voice of God speaking to Samuel. And so he told him, "Next time God speaks, say to him, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'"
The story illustrates what parents should want to accomplish during their children's adolescent years. It's not as much a time to tell them what to believe, though you should be ready for many discussions regarding the faith. But adolescence is a season when you want them to learn the voice of the Lord for themselves.
It will be sloppy. It will be messy. It will not be perfect and buttoned up and clean -- after all, neither are you! But it is a time when they need to learn to hear the voice of the Lord for themselves, to make the faith their own, to get into the word on their own, to ask questions on their own, and begin to know God. It is during this season God becomes personal to them, their Father in heaven.
