Earlier this year in "Part I," I shared some practical lessons learned during our daughter's defiant teen years. This time I will approach things from a spiritual vantage point.

Looking back over our experience I now appreciate the gift time game me, perspective. We weathered many long years of our daughter's adolescent rebellion and learned many lessons. Here are a few:

1. Cling to your faith.

Until I experienced our prodigal's rebellion this statement seemed trite. Over time Satan tempts us to doubt that the Lord is working on our behalf. When this temptation was greatest I asked myself how giving up on my faith would make things better. I realized it would only make things worse.

Isaiah 7:9 really impacted me: "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." In light of the Lord's past faithfulness I determined to stand firm.

I grew in my faith as I drew upon his provision of love, patience and endurance in a way I had never known. As I surrendered myself, my family, and my circumstances to his will, the Lord began to change me.

I gained a new perspective concerning my own sin. The pain and disappointment I felt as a parent made me wonder if this was a glimpse of how the Lord felt toward me when I rebelled against Him.

2. Learn to love supernaturally.

Most people consider me a loving person. I did, too, until my love for my own daughter almost ran dry. Because Heather hurt me so deeply, I wanted to withdraw from her emotionally to protect myself. I cried to the Lord, "I can't love her. I don't have any more love to give!" Romans 5:5 began to transform my mind and my heart. It says, "... and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit ." When I began to open my heart to his love for my daughter, supernatural love began to trickle, then later flow through the hardened places of my heart. As I yielded myself to the Holy Spirit's control, he met me in my pain and helped me see Heather through his eyes and love her with his heart.

3. Hold tightly to hope.

As weeks gave way to months and then years, I began to question if things would ever change. Counseling sessions, rehab, boot camp, hospitalizations. You name it. We tried it. Things would improve for a while and then they'd bottom out. Discouragement and despair weighed heavily on me. In my Bible reading I came across this verse. "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13).

I had to remind myself that with the Lord there is hope. In fact Romans 15:13 refers to the Father as the "God of Hope." When it seemed like hope was nowhere to be found, the Lord gave me this breath of fresh air, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." I asked some trusted friends to pray that godly hope would permeate my heart and soul. I gradually experienced what I came to call a "faith transfusion" concerning Heather. Hope began to flow as I chose to fix my eyes on the God of hope and move forward in faith, trusting him every step of the way.

The prodigal years, though some of the most difficult times in my life, proved to be a rich training ground in faith, love and hope.