“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…”
One of the most important lessons God has taught me in my 25 years of parenting, is the importance of being a living, example of grace to my children. As God has taught me about His grace, He has impressed on me that I need to show that same grace to my children.
After receiving much encouragement from my friend, Tricia Goyer, to “just begin writing,” I finally sat down and started writing. With the help of God, I wrote about my journey of parenting and learning about God’s grace, and how those two things work together for God’s glory. It has now become a book entitled: Grace Gifts: Celebrating Your Children Every Day
Grace Gifts: Celebrating Your Children Every Day is not just another book about “grace-based parenting”. Grace Gifts is a short book, perfect for busy moms, and is filled with practical ways you can show your kids and their friends love and grace, and how that can be used to point them to God.
What does is really mean to show grace to your children? Here are 5 easy ways to start:
Tune In To Your Children
“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.” Proverbs 27:23
Tune in to each child’s thoughts and feelings, reflecting back to them that they are valued, and seek to connect with them in any way possible. This is a way you can nurture your relationship with them. It requires time and concentrated effort on your part, and the way that connecting is accomplished over the years looks different with each season, but God give wisdom as we ask for it.
Enter Into Your Children’s Trials
“Bear on another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” Galations 6:2
It is easy for us to be in our own season, facing the trials we face as adults, and look at our children’s trials as insignificant. It’s important to remember that although we have moved beyond the season of childhood ourselves, our children are dealing with certain things for the first time. We must try to see our children’s trial through their eyes, and then enter into those trials with them, coming alongside to encourage and support them.
Respect your Children
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12
Our children are people who need to be treated with respect. It can be easy for us to see our children as just … well … children! No matter what age they are, it is important to remember that they are individuals, people who are separate from us, people with real feelings who are sifting and working their way through life. It is important not to get so caught up in parenting them we forget to relate to them as people and treat them with respect. We can both parent and treat our children as individuals deserving of our respect if we are thoughtful and intentional
Celebrate your children’s friends
“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.” Leviticus 19:34
There are so many ways in which we can celebrate our children’s friends, if we purpose to make this our goal. Discover fun and meaningful ways to pull their closest friends into the life of your family. In doing this we further the kingdom of God and minister grace gifts to both our children and their friends.
Bless Your Children
“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed, those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:25
There are so many fun ways we can bless our kids and bond with them as they grow up. Blessing our kids, by giving a small gift, a special outing, an unexpected privilege, or even just a warm hug when he has messed up in some way, are simple ways we can show them God’s grace. Tell them that we see them, we love them, and that we are here for them.
As parents, we can be tempted to grasp for methods of parenting, when what we really need is principles. The principles found in Grace Gifts can be carried out a million different ways. They can actually custom-fit your particular family as you seek God and ask Him how He wants you to live this out with your children.
Check out the book to go more in depth on the 5 grace gifts and what they looked like in my home. The principles covered in Grace Gifts apply to any age. My hope is that you will reference it over and over again
{Gina Smith}
I have been married for 27 years and hasve 2 young adult children. It is my greatest gift and privilege being a part of this little family that God has given me. I try to soak up every second I can with them. I am pretty sure my children have taught me much more than I will ever teach them!
For the past 20+ years my husband and I have served on a Christian college campus as the on campus parents, and my husband was a professor and dean of students. We have lived on the campus, and have homeschooled, and raised both of our children here. My greatest desire is to fulfill the most important callings that God has given me – God follower, wife, mother, member of the body of Christ, and gospel proclaimer.
I recently authored my first book “Grace Gifts: Celebrating Your Children Every Day”, and I write for Momlife Today/Family Life Ministries. I have also written regularly for The MOB Society, The Busy Mom, and have been a guest writer for For The Family, The Better Mom, Timewarp Wife, and The Happy Housewife.
Please be sure to visit me at my blog: reallifetitustwo.com, and you can now find me on Facebook.
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