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by Jaz James
As a parent, it can be incredibly difficult when your child’s career choices don’t align with the dreams or values you had for them. If your child is a stripper, you might feel a mix of emotions—sadness, frustration, confusion—but even amid those feelings, you have a unique opportunity to be a source of love, hope, and encouragement in her or his life.
While the path your child has chosen may seem far from what you imagined, God calls us to love without condition, just as He loves us. Philippians 4:8 reminds us to focus on things that are true, noble, right, pure, and lovely. This perspective can help guide how we interact with our children, especially when navigating difficult situations.
Here are a few ways you can be a positive influence and encouragement to your child:
Choose Unconditional Love
One of the most powerful things you can do for your child is to love them unconditionally. While you may not agree with their career choice, your child still needs to feel valued, loved, and accepted by you. Show them that your love for them is not based on what they do but on who they are.
In 1 Corinthians 13:7, we are reminded that Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Let this be your guiding principle. When your child knows they can count on your love, it opens the door to deeper conversations, healing, and trust.
Pray for Them Without Ceasing
Prayer is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Even if you don’t know how to guide them, God knows their heart and their needs better than anyone else. Pray for their safety, their well-being, their future and that they will encounter God’s love in a transformative way.
Ephesians 6:18 tells us to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Lift your child up in prayer daily, asking God to give you wisdom on how to encourage them and trusting Him to work in their life.
Speak Life and Hope Over Them
It can be tempting to constantly express your concerns or disapproval, but remember that your words have power. Instead of focusing on what you see as negative, speak life into your child’s future. Remind them of their worth, their unique gifts, and the amazing potential God has placed inside them.
Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Use your words to build up, encourage, and uplift your child. Compliment their character, their strengths, and their resilience. Let them know that you believe in them and that God has a purpose for their life.
Be Present and Listen
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is simply be there and listen. Your child may be dealing with challenges, emotions, or struggles that they aren’t sharing. Being a safe, non-judgmental space for them to talk can foster openness and healing. Let them share their experiences, their feelings, and their thoughts without immediately trying to fix or correct them.
James 1:19 encourages us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” Being present with empathy and patience can build trust, showing them that you truly care about what’s happening in their life.
Share God’s Love with Gentleness
As a Christian parent, you likely want to share the love of Christ with your child. While it’s important to share your faith, remember to do so gently and with respect. Let your actions reflect Christ’s love, kindness, and grace more than your words.
1 Peter 3:15 reminds us to share our hope in Christ, “But do this with gentleness and respect.” When your child sees the consistency of God’s love through you, they are more likely to be open to conversations about faith.
Celebrate Their Achievements
Even if you don’t agree with their job, your child likely has other goals, dreams, and achievements. Celebrate those victories! Whether it’s a personal accomplishment, a step forward in a hobby, or something as simple as completing a project, recognizing these positive moments helps affirm your child’s worth beyond their career.
By celebrating who they are as a whole person, you communicate that they are valuable for so much more than their job title. This can foster deeper conversations about their passions, hopes, and future.
Offer Practical Support
Another way to be a positive encouragement is to support your child in practical ways. This doesn’t mean endorsing their career, but rather being there for their emotional and physical well-being. Maybe they need help with finances, a place to stay, or just someone to talk to. Being a steady presence in their life offers them stability and safety.
Acts of service, even in small ways, reflect the heart of Christ, who came to serve others in love. John 13:34 reminds us, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Keep Trusting God’s Plan
Perhaps the hardest part is surrendering your child to God’s plan for their life. Even when it seems like they’ve strayed from the path you would have chosen for them, God is still working in their heart. Trust that He knows them even better than you do, and His plans for them are full of hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
God’s timeline may look different from ours, but He is faithful. Keep believing that He is drawing your child closer to Him, even if you don’t see immediate changes.
Being a parent is never easy, and watching your child make choices you don’t understand can be heart-wrenching. But by choosing to love, encourage, and support them in a Christ-like way, you can be a powerful influence in their life. Trust that God’s love is bigger than any situation, and that He is always at work.
Stay hopeful, keep praying, and remember that your love and encouragement can make a lasting impact on your child’s journey.
Jaz James is the director of Strip Church and founder of Lace Warriors, a strip club ministry that currently serves over 300 entertainers in West Texas and Northern Mexico