How to Keep Children from Getting Bitter

The First Biblical Example: Esau's Bitter Cry

The first mention of bitterness in the Bible appears in a son: Esau, the child of Isaac and Rebekah. When he felt he had been wronged, Esau cried out with a "bitter cry."

Tragically, Esau ended up rejecting the grace of God and becoming a profane fornicator. It's as if God was issuing a warning to all parents: Protect your children from becoming bitter.

How to Protect Your Children from Bitterness:

• Emphasize the importance of forgiveness - Teach children never to become bitter, no matter what happens to them.
• Teach them to control their angry natures - Help children manage and master their emotions early.
• Stay with your original mate - Marital stability protects children from deep wounds.
• Keep lines of communication open - Maintain healthy dialogue with your children at all times.
• Draw the line of obedience where God draws it - Don't add burdensome rules beyond Scripture.
• Take seriously God's negative commands - Honor God's "do not" instructions.
• Get victory over anger - Parents must model freedom from anger themselves.
• Fathers must be involved with ALL their children - Every child needs their father's active engagement.
• Teach children to run TO responsibility - Train them to embrace, not avoid, their duties.
• Encourage children to receive God's grace - Help them understand and accept the grace God offers them.

Running Time: 56 minutes