Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp
Week 6: Chapter 5 — Inability
Read Chapter 5 of Parenting by Paul David Tripp.
Previewing Week 6 of Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 16-week guide when you’re ready.
One of the most liberating and humbling chapters in the book, this week Tripp confronts parents with a truth that changes everything: you cannot change your child's heart.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Tripp's principle here is that parents must accept their own inability to produce the heart change they long to see in their children. What is your honest emotional reaction to that claim — relief, despair, confusion, or something else?
2.He argues that many parenting strategies are built on the false assumption that the right technique, applied consistently, will produce the desired transformation. Why is that assumption both understandable and ultimately futile?
3.What does Tripp say parents actually can do, if they cannot change the heart? How does understanding your role as a tool rather than the craftsman change your approach?
a.What are the things God has actually entrusted to parents to do faithfully?
b.What are the things that only God can do, and how do we release control of those?