Seeking Forgiveness in our Children

I always felt that kids deserve the same respect we would give any adult, which is why I cannot affored treating my daughter less than the way my Father in heaven would treat me.  Now, this doesn't mean that I do anything perfectly.....

There are times when I am sick, grouchy, short, quick tempered, out of grace, tired, hungry etc....and who do I usually take it out on first? Unfortunately, the people closest to me - the ones I love.  This is probably right for you too...if you'll be honest. 

But I believe this is something we can strive not to do. 

Treating our kids any other way than God's best leaves us feeling horrible about ourselves, and leaves them feeling just as horrible about themselves.  That's why asking the little ones for forgiveness is a powerful moving-forward tool.  You have to allow yourself the freedom to be imperfect and vulnerable; thereby learning to seek forgiveness and still like who you are. 

I think some parents are fearful to be vulnerable with their children because they feel they will lose their children's respect if they open up.  How can we teach our children to seek forgiveness from others if they do not see that example in us?

Vulnerability Builders:

• When have you felt that you need to be open with your children or loved ones?
• How did you deal with that emotion?

Pray and Trust

How do you come to prayer?

 

When we are in between flights, what do we do?  Read a magazine, read a book, make a couple of calls, text away... but do we pray? When we have a whole evening without any concrete plans, what do we do?  Watch TV, go to a movie, read another chapter in that book, check your personal emails, make more phone calls, text some more....but do we pray?

 

Realistically, there appears to be empty hours in our lives to pray, so there must be something else getting in the way of prayer than just being too busy!

 

Our ambivalence about prayer reveals to us what kind of God our God is.  God is not someone who just seeks our occasional attention, and waits for our occassional prayers.  He is not someone who can easily do without us and will be quite content when we are willing to spend a couple hours of our weekend talking to Him. If God were that kind of God, then we wouldn't experience so much tension when we enter into His presence to pray.  Those tensions come from the awareness that God is a jealous lover.

 

Deutoronomy 4:24 (The Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God). Moses said this to the people of Israel and Paul said to his brothers and sisters in 2 Corinthians 11:2, that he loved them with the jealous love of God.  God is asking for our total, undivided attention. Not only is He asking for our undivided attention, He is also asking us to trust Him whether things are going well or going against us. 

A great quote I read goes like this "The root of all sin is the suspicion that God isn't good or isn't good enough" (revised). In the times of pain, questioning, anger and frustration, you need to say to God, "I'm not going to stop believing in your goodness, but I've got to know you better. I'm not demanding that you do anything for me.  I'm coming to you just for you."

That, ladies, is an appetite for God.  That's seeking Him with all of your heart.

Prayer and Trust Builders:

• How have you learned to fit times of prayer and focusing on God into spare moments of your day?
• What troubling question do you wish God would answer for you?
• How can you practice coming to God just for Him, without demands?