Kimberly Hahn - Legacy of Love: Biblical Wisdom for Parenting Teens and Young Adults

Introduction

Welcome to the fourth installment of the Life-Nurturing Love series, based on Proverbs 31:1031. In this series we have discussed many ways the Proverbs 31 woman does good for her husband through her care for their household and home. She is diligent in her faith and in her actions. Consequently her family flourishes, her husband enjoys a good reputation, and her household is well managed.

In this book you will explore more about parenting, focusing on teens and young adults, and about extending your faith in action beyond your homes. How do you transition from a nuclear family to an extended family as your children marry and establish families of their own? How do your married children and their families remain a part of your larger family while growing increasingly independent? And how do you leadand reach beyondyour family to witness to your parish, your neighborhood, your country, and your world?

is a brief explanation of the illustration Priority Living. The cross in the center stands for your relationship with the Lord, your primary priority. The two entwined circles represent who you are as a daughter of God, created and redeemed by him, and your relationship with your spouse. The cross in the center of your joined circles reminds you to keep Christ in the center of your marriage.

The next priority is your family circle. The larger line connecting the little circles that surround the entwined circles represents your relationships with your children. The circle encasing the little circles represents how you provide for your familys needs, the tasks that nurture your family toward a culture of life and love.

Finally, the horizontal rings encircling the nucleus are your peripheral priorities. They are genuine priorities that have a place in your life, though they are secondary to your primary call to your family.

This study may trigger thoughts about your life as a teen, your children who will be teens, or your children who are currently teenagers. You may be anticipating a relationship with a son- or daughter-in-law, or you may already have one. You may think about your grandparents and ways you want to imitate them. Or you may want a different vision for grandparenting than you experienced from either your grandparents or your parents as they grandparented your children. Can you offer more?

No matter where you are coming from, this is a new beginning . Take what you have been given and build on it. My prayer is that you will be inspired to serve the Lord and your family in new ways. I hope you will not feel overwhelmed by too many ideas.

We filmed the Life-Nurturing Love series so that you could share this study. In the back of each of the four books are copies of the outlines that correspond to the DVDs. You can enlarge and duplicate them and invite a few friends over to share this study. You can watch the DVDs as six studies or divide each talk in half and view the studies over twelve weeks. Encourage each woman to have her own copy of the book, since the book has much more material than the DVDs.