Topic: Forgiveness

Being a person full of grace means choosing to put others before yourself.  It’s about having an attitude of humility, of which forgiveness is a vital aspect.  When Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray, he adds “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”  Then, he adds some commentary saying “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (See Matthew 6:9-15). 

That is the part of the prayer that I generally read twice, because I often skip over it the first time I read this passage.  Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things to do.  It’s so counter-cultural!  When someone wrongs me, I want to see justice!  But if justice is the appropriate response, then this prayer would read “Punish us for our debts, as we also punish our debtors.”  Justice doesn’t sound quite as appealing anymore. 

As I think about the sin in my life, knowing that God offers me forgiveness leaves me speechless.  There is really no greater example of love than the forgiveness of sins to those who don’t deserve it.  In the same way, teaching your kids forgiveness by forgiving others shows them the love that you have for others.  You are showing them a real-life example of the Greatest Commandment: “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets’”   (Matthew 22:36-40). 

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with your kids.  Explain to them when people have wronged you, or when you have wronged others, and teach them how forgiveness restores those relationships.  Children often remember the times when their parents mess up more than when their parents do well.  Use those as teaching moments, showing them how grace causes change. 

This week, I challenge you to right any wrongs in your life, and take the time to explain the situation to your kids.  The eternal significance will far outweigh the embarrassment and pain.  

Topic: Showing Grace

Grace is a wonderful, beautiful thing… if you are on the receiving end.  I once heard grace described as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense” and really, that’s what grace is!  God came to earth as a human, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for our disobedience.  He came “from the Father, full of grace and truth…  For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14, 16-17).  This grace of God is our salvation.  It opens the door to forgiveness when we mess up.  It is the love of God expressed to a broken people.

So grace is a wonderful, beautiful thing… until you have to give it to others.    Like when someone cuts you off in traffic or pulls out in front of you just to turn off at the next road.  I don’t know about you, but showing them grace is not typically my first reaction.  Or when your neighbor mows through your garden and you can no longer use your homegrown tomatoes to make homemade salsa.  Grace is not the first thing I want to give to my neighbor.  But what about when your kids write in Sharpie all over the new coffee table?  Or when they climb on top of the refrigerator to get to the bowl of candy?  Yeah, grace is definitely my first reaction then… NOT!

But moments like those are perfect opportunities to give grace.  More than that, they are teaching moments for your kids.  Francis Chan spoke about a time when his daughter came home with a less-than-satisfactory report card.  His first instinct was to scold her and threaten to take away everything that was distracting her from getting straight A’s.  But instead he used it as an opportunity to teach her about the grace of God.  He took her out for ice cream!  His intentions were not to make it a habit, but express in a powerful (and delicious!) way what grace is.  Although she had failed (like we often do before God), he showed her grace (like God does for us).  He chose to look past her faults and recognize that she was his beloved child and wouldn’t do everything perfectly. 

My challenge to you this week is to show your kids grace in one more situation than you did last week.  Use it as an opportunity to teach them about the grace of God.  You may be surprised about the way grace restores the relationships in your life.