More Daily Encouragement for the Smart StepFamilySample

Honor the Past and the Present

Wise stepparents honor their stepchildren’s past. When Victoria married a widower with four kids, she applied this advice and it really paid off. Victoria noticed how "uprooted" the kids seemed to feel when her furniture was moved into their family home. So she made changes very cautiously. First, she set up the kitchen according to her own tastes and needs, but she made sure that the mother's items were distributed or saved for each child. Then she waited five more years to re-do the living room.

During the Christmas celebration seven years after her marriage, Victoria gifted each child with a photo of their family of origin and the current stepfamily. Now that’s wisdom. She honored each child, their mom, their dad—and herself. And by encouraging her stepchildren to embrace their past, Victoria made it more likely that they will want to embrace her as a part of their future. 

Father, show me ways to help my stepchildren know that I honor their past history and the other family members in their life as part of who they are.

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© 2018 by FamilyLife. Excerpted with permission from Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily by Ron L. Deal with Dianne Neal Matthews, Bethany House Publishers. Get more daily encouragement with this 365-day devotional that will keep your family blending and bonding throughout the year.