Nothing could be scarier to a parent than leaving a child to follow the ways of the crowd. In an age where freedom and rights have become more important than morals and values, one can only imagine the horror upright parents must feel when the time comes to introduce their children to the real world.

A child's atmosphere has all kinds of influences that could make or break a child's character and being -- the friends they make, the trends they follow, the music they listen to and many other factors.

That's why discipline, rules and values are very important in parenting children. But sometimes no matter how hard we try to keep them on the right path they still find their way to a path of destruction.

What happens when we lose them to the world?

What happens when children rebel and give in to the temptations of the world -- start indulging in premarital relationships, get into the wrong substances and the wrong crowds? The most instant response is an iron fist, but it's been proven time and time again how that stops working after a certain age threshold.

It's hurtful yes, and almost offensive to the authority and responsibility we hold as parents, but God makes it clear that love is the driving force that brings about transformation and reconciliation. Unless we want to kiss all hopes of redemption goodbye, we must be motivated by the love we have for our children.

The moment comes that the only proper response is forgiveness and love. The first person you must forgive is yourself. Many parents live in the remorse of "allowing" their kids to slip away. It's not all your fault because your children have a part to play in this, too. The next thing to do is forgive your children just as Christ has forgiven them.

The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) could not paint a more perfect picture: A reckless child and a compassionate son, yet when the son had washed out half of his father's wealth and came home with pig scum on his mouth, the father was ready to receive Him.

The power that parents hold over their children is not an iron fist, but a heart full of love. We can see no better example than the love of the Father, who so freely gives us the liberty to choose life in Him or life in sin and lavishes us with love no matter what decision we make.

And the best part is what we see in verse 20, "...But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." As we realize how wrong we were to abandon our Father's love and return to Him, we find that He was always just a stone's throw away, ready to receive us with open arms.

Because of God's love for us displayed by the shedding of the blood of His own Son, we can act in compassion and confidence by loving our children even when they lose their way.