Four Ways to Encourage Your Child When They're Struggling

In this heartfelt Christian parenting podcast episode, we explore the spirit-led discernment needed to know when to rescue your child and when to let them grow through life’s challenges. We dive into the tension between protection and preparation, offering biblical wisdom for moms navigating hard parenting decisions.

Key themes include:

• Trusting God’s plan in parenting
• Raising spiritually resilient children
• Training kids for trials through biblical truths
• Teaching children to worship in hard seasons
• Letting go of parental fear and control
• Helping children see Jesus as Comforter, Healer, and Prince of Peace
• Using Scripture like Proverbs 3:5-6 as a parenting anchor

Perfect for Christian moms seeking faith-based parenting strategies, this episode offers encouragement, vulnerability, and practical tips to empower your children in their spiritual walk.

🎉 Special 10th episode celebration! Share your story on our Instagram post by April 11th for a chance to be featured and win a giveaway!

Transcript

Introduction: The Swimming Pool Lesson

Speaker 1 0:11

This is Jenna Marie Masters with the Real Moms , real Faith Podcast . I am so glad you're here so you can be encouraged to trust God with all the things one day at a time . Hello , hello , precious , precious , welcome to episode 10 . This episode is called Four Ways to Encourage your Child when they're Struggling .

Speaker 1 0:32

I was raised in the 80s . Parenting is a little different these days . When I was a kid , some lady bundled me up in winter clothes and threw me into a swimming pool . I think she was my swim teacher at least I hope she was . But either way , the struggle was real . I don't recall having any legal representation or signing a waiver . Instead , I just heard the zip of a puffy jacket , felt my feet lift off the floor and everything went silent as my head slowly sunk underwater . I was trying to kick , but I had these heavy winter boots on . My muscles were burning , but I still heard my mom cheering from the side of the pool as I struggled . But then I was thinking wait , why isn't she jumping in to save me ? I remember popping my head up out of the water after each stroke , and I really wasn't too concerned with getting air , but rather to make sure my mom was still there and she was , and her voice launched like a rope , just pulling me closer to the side .

Speaker 1 1:29

Friends , I have never been able to shake the memory of this day . How many times has it felt like God has thrown you into a cold pool with a Patagonia jacket and a pair of Uggs ? How often has it felt as if he's standing on the side watching you struggle for air ? It can feel cruel right , and now that I'm a mom , it feels even crueler when it appears that God is allowing my kids to gasp in that way

Trusting God in the Process

Speaker 1 1:52

. In episode nine , I challenged each of us to ask God when our kids are struggling . God , do you want me to save them from this struggle or do you want me to stay with them in this struggle ? Because there are times when staying with our children through a struggle is way more impactful than saving them from it . But what is our job as parents ? I mean , how are we supposed to know when we save them or just stay with them ? And I wish there was a blanking answer for this , but there isn't . Every child , parent and situation is different , but our God is not . So today we're going to be talking about four things we can do as parents to help our kids when they're struggling . Number one encourage them to trust God in the process .

Speaker 1 2:34

Proverbs 3 , 5 through 6 tells us trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding . In all your ways , submit to him and he will make your path straight . I believe God is good , because that is what the Bible tells me is true . Psalm 92 , 15 says the Lord is upright , he is my rock and there is no wickedness in him . Psalm 100 , verse 5 says and his love endures forever . His faithfulness continues through all generations . It says there is no wickedness in him . But can he work good through evil things ? Yes , he can and yes he does .

Speaker 1 3:12

I believe struggles and hardships are a result of living in this temporary broken world , but he will cultivate holy things from it . I love Romans 8.28 . In the message version it says this , but it doesn't always feel like that , does it ? I mean our feelings lie . Let me reassure you that God sees the strength in us that we forget to claim , both in us as parents and in our children . He sees his spirit in us , the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead . He wants us to know that truth too , and just like our Heavenly Father has a desire for us to recognize our strength . We must ask him to help us , help our children , to recognize theirs .

Speaker 1 3:56

In episode 9 , we talked about how God uses struggles to speak a new name over our children , but I also believe he wants to speak his names over their lives too , especially when they're struggling . How will our children ever experience Jesus as comforter if they have no sorrow ? Or healer without any wounds , wonderful counselor without any problems , prince of Peace with no worries ? Jesus has many names , and there's a reason . If I want what is best for my children , I want them to know all the names of jesus , because I want them to know all of him . So when it's time for me to refrain from helping them or saving them , I can trust that the everlasting father will dive into deep waters with my kids , and this is one way , as a mom , I learned to experience the name of Jesus too . So , number one , a recap trust the process . Trust that there is a reason that God is allowing this to happen . Go back to episode nine and go through all the miracles that can happen while your kids are struggling , the second thing we can do as moms when we come to this point where our kids are really struggling is that we can train our kids for the

Training Kids for Life's Struggles

Speaker 1 5:01

struggle . When we train our kids up for the struggles in life , this process trains us as moms to refrain from saving them every time . Proverbs 22.6 says this Train up a child in the way he should go . Even when he's old , he will not depart from it .

Speaker 1 5:18

I think back to my mom and this crazy pool story , and this is key . My mom knew I could swim because she started off in the pool with me months before . She didn't just throw me in and expect me to swim . She did her job as a mom and she trained me in the shallows . She swam next to me as I got stronger and encouraged me to tread water longer . Each time she showed me how she could swim and I watched . But what does this look like spiritually ? Often , training is showing and modeling to our kids . This is why I believe we should share stories with our kids about times that we've struggled . Let them know it's a normal part of life and when you're in a season of struggling in front of them , tell them you're confused . Tell them you're taking it to God . Tell them you're struggling with your faith , but you're praying through it . Share with them Bible verses that help you get through it . We want to create a space in our home where being open about hard things is normal Because , remember , when we shield our children from our struggles , we're shielding them from our testimony , and the Bible tells us it's through our testimony that the enemy is defeated .

Speaker 1 6:21

The third way to help our kids when they're struggling is to provide them with resources in the areas that we are

Providing Outside Resources

Speaker 1 6:27

not experts . My mom hired a swim teacher to equip me in the areas where she didn't have expertise . So if your child is having a hard time in an area that you don't feel like you're an expert in , or you don't feel equipped to train them well , turn to a trusted friend or an adult to step in and help . Maybe there's a great Christian book out there that's been recommended to you that you could look over first before you give to your kid . Maybe your kid's dealing with depression or anxiety or struggling with their identity and their giftings as an athlete or their academic achievements . This could be where a counselor or a coach or a teacher or a family member or even a pastor could step in . Sometimes there's just conversations that need to be had with our kids that aren't received well coming from us . So we've had to ask someone else that we trust always a fellow believer to come alongside our child and encourage them or teach them in the areas where we just couldn't do it . Parenting truly takes a village , and as much as we want to be everything and everyone to our children , it's just not realistic . And the fourth way to help our kids when they're struggling is to encourage them to continue to worship God even when things

Encouraging Worship During Hardship

Speaker 1 7:31

are hard . In Acts 16 , 25-26 , it says this About midnight , paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening to them .

Speaker 1 7:42

Suddenly , there was such a violent earthquake that the foundation of the prison was shaken At once . All the prison doors flew open and everyone's chains came loose . What does this show us ? It shows us your child's or your release from the struggle could be on the other side of a worship song or a praise or thanksgiving . Forgetting to worship god in these moments could be the difference between keeping the chains on and having a burst open .

Speaker 1 8:10

Psalm 16 , 7 through 8 , says this I will praise the lord who counsels me . Even at night , my heart instructs me . I keep my eyes always on the Lord , with him at my right hand , I will not be shaken . Psalm 69 , 30 , says I will praise the name of God with a song . I will magnify him with Thanksgiving . Psalm 63 , three through four , says because your love is better than life , my lips will glorify you , I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands when your kid comes home from school . So I just wanted to share these four ways to help you when your kids are struggling Because , like I said before , when we help train them up for the struggle and we equip them , it's really training us as moms to learn how to step back and refrain from saving them through it all .

Speaker 1 9:09

Listen , my mom knew I had the ability to swim , even though I didn't believe it yet . Sometimes we want to keep our children from strife because we think it makes us a bad parent If we don't . I feel that I get that , but unfortunately that's more about our own self-preservation and proving our own self-worth than it really is about our children's benefit and their spiritual emotional development . And if we consider this eternal perspective , which is more important , I may have never learned to trust that I could swim

Closing Thoughts and Episode Giveaway

Speaker 1 9:39

if my mom had jumped in that day . And there's another thing Aside from remembering my mom's face and voice that day , the last thing I remember was that I prayed . If my mom had reached out for my hand and pulled me out , I wouldn't have reached out for God's . My mom didn't save me . She stayed with me , and God will stay with you and your children too .

Speaker 1 9:59

Yes , there's going to be hard times for your kids . There's going to be honors , math and snarky friend groups and hurtful social media posts , and that one time your son wasn't invited into the same cabin as his friends at camp . We don't need to fear stepping back because we can trust that we have a God who steps in where needed . God has entrusted us with a job , but we must trust him to do his . As we do this , both us mamas and our kiddos will begin to trust that we can survive deeper waters , swim a little further and stay in the fight a bit longer . We begin to believe that God keeps his promises , that he will never leave us or forsake us , and he will constantly deliver to us his perfect will , even if it takes climbing out of a pool with our winter coat and soggy boots to get there .

Speaker 1 10:49

Today is our 10th episode of Real Moms Real Faith . So here's the question what's one way you helped your child trust God in the middle of a struggle ? You can answer this by going on to the Instagram post . Today there's going to be a giveaway section . Just type in your answer . Anytime up to April 11th . I'm going to be sharing some of my favorite answers that you share on the podcast next week . So make it a way that we could encourage one another and share what works for us and what doesn't work for us , because I know there's so many things out there and nuggets of wisdom that you have that I would love to hear and I know other listeners would love to hear . Don't forget to follow , save and share and subscribe . You're awesome . Give it up for our mommy . Yeah , we're really awesome . Love it , thank you .