Family. Grace. Joy
I come from a big, tight knit family. We are united by blood, but more so by God. We worship our creator, and our faith is central to who we are as a family. No family is perfect, and mine is no exception. But imperfection is just an opportunity to show grace. Grace is vital for unity and it is major in my family.
As I look to the examples that my family has set for me and the examples of grace in parenting, I continually pray that I can show that grace to my toddler when he's tantrumming and my future teenager when he is rebelling. I pray that this home will be one where God is at the head of our table.
At this stage in life, I have trouble seeing any fruits of the seeds we are planting. Our oldest is still not talking and so even the smallest evidence of his absorption is masked in non-verbal communication. Yet, every once in a while he will surprise me. Sometimes he is the one who folds his hands first to pray for the meal. Occasionally, he chooses a Bible story for me to read and sits through it. Once in a while he will cuddle with me and listen to me read me devotional out loud.
Today, he was sick and cuddled with me the entire time the pastor preached. At the end of the sermon, during the response time he sang along with me (in his babbling sort of way). Even in his sickness, I find joy. That's the way our savior works, He brings joy to joyless situations.
On the contrary, sin takes the joy from joyful situations. When I got married, it was supposed to be a joyous time, but the sins I had committed prevented me from fully experiencing that joy. David, when Bathsheba bore him a son conceived in sin, was joyless because of his sin. Yet, the Lord was gracious and restored that joy to David through Solomon.
I argued for our first son's middle name to be Jedediah because that was what Solomon was renamed and I loved the story of restoration. The Lord is gracious and loving. The Lord restores.
I am grateful for a God and a family that showed me grace before I was desperate for it because when I need it, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is there. I pray that joy is a fruit of this grace. My prayer is that as I embark on this parenting journey love and grace abound. I pray that behavior modification is a fruit of loving God and loving others, not the goal. I pray for grace.
As I look to the examples that my family has set for me and the examples of grace in parenting, I continually pray that I can show that grace to my toddler when he's tantrumming and my future teenager when he is rebelling. I pray that this home will be one where God is at the head of our table.
At this stage in life, I have trouble seeing any fruits of the seeds we are planting. Our oldest is still not talking and so even the smallest evidence of his absorption is masked in non-verbal communication. Yet, every once in a while he will surprise me. Sometimes he is the one who folds his hands first to pray for the meal. Occasionally, he chooses a Bible story for me to read and sits through it. Once in a while he will cuddle with me and listen to me read me devotional out loud.
Today, he was sick and cuddled with me the entire time the pastor preached. At the end of the sermon, during the response time he sang along with me (in his babbling sort of way). Even in his sickness, I find joy. That's the way our savior works, He brings joy to joyless situations.
On the contrary, sin takes the joy from joyful situations. When I got married, it was supposed to be a joyous time, but the sins I had committed prevented me from fully experiencing that joy. David, when Bathsheba bore him a son conceived in sin, was joyless because of his sin. Yet, the Lord was gracious and restored that joy to David through Solomon.
I argued for our first son's middle name to be Jedediah because that was what Solomon was renamed and I loved the story of restoration. The Lord is gracious and loving. The Lord restores.
I am grateful for a God and a family that showed me grace before I was desperate for it because when I need it, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is there. I pray that joy is a fruit of this grace. My prayer is that as I embark on this parenting journey love and grace abound. I pray that behavior modification is a fruit of loving God and loving others, not the goal. I pray for grace.
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