Elyse Fitzpatrick » Family Children Home Discipline Gospel

The one thing our children really need is the gospel of grace.

They need to be absolutely dazzled by the kind of love that would suffer the way Christ suffered, forgive the way he forgives, and bless the way he blesses.

 

Grace, Forgiveness, & Peace

Martin Luther wrote that it is grace that brings us forgiveness of sins, which produces peace of conscience. The words are simple; but during temptation, “to be convinced in our hearts that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing.” 

Give them grace when they succeed and grace when they fail.

Living and parenting in grace is not the easy road. In fact, it is much harder to rest in his promise of grace than it is to make a list and try to live by it. Some parents may think that giving grace to their children equates to giving themselves a pass. Just the opposite is true. Giving grace to children is an exercise of faith, and faith is always more difficult than works. It flows out of humility, a character trait that none of us comes by naturally. That’s why most people miss it and why works, not faith, is the stumbling block of the cross. You are not slacking off when you tell them of his dazzling love. You are doing the hardest thing.

 

Parents, Be Dazzled Too

So go ahead. Freely dazzle your babies with the cross of Christ. Give them grace when they succeed and grace when they fail. Show them how much he loves little children, like you. Bring them to him and encourage them to jump up on his lap and share all their silly stories and fears and joys with him. Assure them of his great delight in them. And when they sin, when they fail, tell them all over again, “Oh, honey. Let’s run to our Savior. Jesus loves sinners. Let’s tell him about our sin and ask him for grace to love him even more.” Then, when you give them grace like this, you’ll find yourself dazzled by his love and grace, too.

 

Questions for Thought

1. How does the grace God has shown us completely change the way we parent?
2. How does the grace God has shown us help us in our failures as parents?
3. How does the grace God has shown us help us see our successes as parents?
4. How can you now partner with your child in the gospel?

 

 

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Adapted from Give them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson, © 2011. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

 

 

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