Leaning Into God’s Grace for Parenting

 

If you aren’t quite sure you understand what I mean, just consider this one question: If you could have made yourself into the perfect parent and made perfect children, wouldn’t you have done so by now?

 

So, instead of trying to parent by our own strength, the law, we must learn to parent by God’s strength, grace.

 

Let me make the meaning of this very clear. God’s approach to parenting does not involve “perfect” people making “perfect” children by their own effort. God’s approach to parenting involves extremely imperfect people shaping imperfect children by being a conduit for God’s amazing grace.

 

And doesn’t this sound refreshing? And doesn’t this fill you with hope?

 

For nearly all of us, however, the grace approach does not come naturally. Therefore, while it does not depend on our strength, we must learn how God intended us to tap into His strength. And we must learn how we are to offer God’s grace to our children. This is exactly what we will learn to do in the remainder of the book. In order to do this, we need to begin with a deeper understanding of just how the law system impacts our children.

 

But before we start that discussion, let me close this chapter with some words of encouragement.

 

Raising children is difficult, and you don’t have the strength to do it on your own, which is precisely what God has been wanting you to come to accept. The almighty Creator of the universe is waiting to help. His way is grace for salvation and grace for living, and this includes parenthood as well. The power to do this is His power. And He very much wants you to tap into it.

 

As we will discover, God has more than enough loving-kindness for both you and your children. Your job is to learn how to receive it from Him and how to give it to your little ones.

 

Excerpt from Practical Grace for Parents by Ryan Hobbs. Copyright © 2005 – 2013 Delaware Spring Press. Printed with permission. Get
a free copy of Practical Grace For Parents at www.delawarespring.org