Power of Grace in Parenting

10:12 AMHeather

Y'all--I just wrapped up my continued study of the original use of "grace," by looking at the second passage referenced in the Wycliffe Bible dictionary.  Oh, my.  This is gonna be good.  I hope you stick along for the ride this year because I gotta tell you--I think we are in for some huge revelations of the Lord in our lives.  And some huge blessings.  But, I'm going to save this morning's fresh insight for tomorrow because there's something else I feel led to share today--and I just know someone needs to hear this.

Don't you hate when you know something to be true yet you struggle to do it anyway?  Despite how right you know it is--you just get distracted, like the dog in the movie Up?  SQUIRREL.  And you lose focus.  For me, one of the most powerful things I know to be true in mothering is the need for grace.  I know that grace is a powerful thing.  I've been meditating for awhile about how Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God's grace is sufficient for us in our weakness.  Not his strength or his might or his knowledge.  But His grace.  That strikes a chord in me to say that God feels his grace holds much power to fill the gaps in us.

Along the same lines, check out this wisdom found in Proverbs 25:15:

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
   and a gentle tongue can break a bone. 

I can remember when I first heard this verse in our Young Marrieds class a few years back.  It was one of those didn't make sense at first glance passages for me.  But, then I saw the truth there.  Patience, gentleness, and yes, GRACE, can persuade a ruler and can break a bone--figuratively speaking.  In parenting, I think this translates that I can stand on my head and turn blue from yelling to get my point across and try to bring about change.  Or, I can rely on the strength of patience, gentleness and grace to break the bad habits or misbehavior.

These are the things I know to be true.  These are the things I find hard to do as a mom.  But, yesterday, my mind was turning the idea of grace over and over.  I was intentional about seeing God's grace in my day, and I was determined to extend that grace--to be a giver of grace.  And, that is the only reason why I was able to respond to my child as I did.

You see, we were pleasantly surprised that our children got up and going yesterday to get back to school after being gone for 10 days.  It had been great fun and a whirlwind, but we did not have the usual one day at home margin I try to allow for decompressing.  And, the children even came home from school in good spirits.  But, by 8:00 p.m. when one child was STILL trying to complete math homework, all hint of a good attitude was long gone.  Melt down ensued.  I mean, major.  It was ugly.  Chris and I sat looking at each other, and my heart start racing as my blood boiled.  I don't do well with screaming and fit throwing.  I was tired, too, from all the day's work of getting our house back in order.  But, I prayed before I said a word.  Chris sent the child to another room to calm down.  The ruckus got louder and worse.  I was about at wit's end.  So, I threw up one of those quick prayers--HELP!  SHOW UP and help me know what to do!  Bedtime was looming and the work had to be done.  After a couple minutes, I got up and went to the child and asked if I could pray with them.  After a quick prayer for peace, I pulled the child into my lap and rocked them and whispered in their ear how much I loved them and then quietly asked God to help us both.

Glimpse of grace:  It was certainly not by my power that I diffused that situation.  It was the power of God's grace that had been forefront on my mind.  It was His grace that I had been contemplating that begat the grace I could pour out.  That is one of the truths of grace that I have just read in my Bible dictionary.  Grace evokes grace.  His grace poured on us should fill us to overflowing and we pour it out and then others can pour it out.  I am telling you--last night's situation rarely ends that quickly or calmly or peacefully when it does happen.  But, the power of the grace I poured out, rocking and loving and praying, broke the anger and frustration.  And within ten minutes--the homework was done.  When I am the most unlovable, I am the most in need of God's grace.  Same thing can be said of my children.  When they have used up all of my good graces, they are most in need of the power of God's grace overflowing from me.  It'll persuade a ruler, break a bone, persuade a tired child, and break a fit being thrown.  Lord, help us all to remember the power of grace in our parenting!

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