Menu
Bible Gateway logo
account
  • read
    Read
    the Bible
    • Reading Plans
    • Advanced Search
    • Available Versions
    • Audio Bibles
  • study
    Study
    Tools
    • Scripture Engagement
    • More Resources
  • plus
    Bible Gateway
    Plus
  • explore
    Explore
    More
    • News & Knowledge
    • Newsletters
    • Devotionals
    • Bible Gateway App
    • Bible Audio App
    • Bible Gateway Blog
  • store
    Store
    • Bibles
    • Deals
    • More
Access insights on any verse—BibleGateway+ starts FREE!
close
Unlock the best value in digital Bible study—over $3,100 in resources for only $49.99 a year.
close
account Log In/Sign Up show menu
Biblia del Jubileo (JBS)
Version
Bible Book List Bible Book List
Font Size Font Size

◀Devotionals/Family Talk Night Light for Parents - Saturday, September 20, 2025
Share Print
Prev Day Prev Day
Reading Completed Reading Completed | September 20, 2025 Use the calendar to view readings from this plan. close
Next Day Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

September 2025 Previous Next
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
  1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30        
Return to today's reading

Log in to read this devotional and:

  • Have reminders sent directly to your email
  • Record your reading progress
  • Pause your devotional at any time to read at your own pace
Log In

Family Talk Night Light for Parents

Duration: 365 days

Tryout Day

Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

An encouraging word is welcome at any time, but is needed most of all after a disappointment or failure. That’s why Scripture instructs us to “encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). I (jcd) am reminded of a story about Joy, a twelve-year-old who had her heart set on making the school cheerleading squad. She practiced cheers, cartwheels, and toe-touches for weeks. Yet on tryout day, Joy’s best effort still fell short. She was crushed.

Joy’s mother had been traveling at the time. When she returned she asked, “Joy, how did tryouts go?” “I lost,” Joy answered quietly. “Really?” said her mother. She put her arms around her daughter. “Well, Joy, I am so proud of you for working so very hard, and then for having the courage to go out there and try!” The change in Joy’s expression was immediate.

If Joy’s mother had showed the slightest disappointment or embarrassment, Joy would have felt even worse. Emotions are contagious. We tend to “catch” the reactions of those around us and incorporate their highs and lows in our own spirits.

Your children are at their most vulnerable when they endure a terrible hurt or setback. Your attention and thoughtfulness during these moments can lessen the pain and bring you closer to your kids. Like Joy’s mother, you may even find the silver lining that turns disappointment into triumph.

Before you say good night…

Do you try to turn around disappointments in your family?

What “encouragement strategies” can you deploy?

Lord Jesus, we need eyes like Yours—eyes that see opportunities to bring comfort out of pain, light out of darkness, hope out of despair. Open our eyes and hearts, Lord, so that we might walk our children through these years. Amen.

  • From Night Light For Parents, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
    Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Illustration adapted from Mothers Have Angel Wings, compiled and edited by Carol Kent (Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress Publishing Group, 1997).

Prev Day Prev Day
Top
Next Day Next Day

About

  • About
  • News & Knowledge
  • Statement of Faith
  • Mobile App
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Newsroom
  • Support Us

Help

  • FAQs
  • Tutorials
  • Use Bible Gateway on Your Site
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • California Privacy Rights
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Cookie notice
  • Site: Terms of use
  • Widget: Terms of use

Our Network

  • FaithGateway
  • StudyGateway
  • ChurchSource
  • HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Grupo Nelson
  • Editorial Vida
  • Thomas Nelson
  • WestBow Press
  • Zondervan
  • MasterLectures

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences
Sign Up for Bible Gateway: News & Knowledge
Get weekly Bible news, info, reflections, and deals in your inbox.

By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 501 Nelson Pl, Nashville, TN 37214 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateway’s emails at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com.

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences