Do you struggle with wanting to be prefect? To do everything right?
I do! Especially when it comes to my kids. I mean, why should they have to suffer because I’m their mom and I’m not perfect?
Making mistakes is inevitable. So, it’s not the making of mistakes that is the issue. It’s what I do with my mistakes that has the biggest impact on my children.
I serve the God who specializes in bringing beauty from ashes. God showed me He wanted to use my mistakes to bless my children, too.
Awesome! Right?
My mistakes bless my children when I model repentance and reconciliation.
Whether I hurt my child, or they know I hurt someone else, they can benefit if they also see me clean up my mess.
I can make a full apology, “I’m sorry” doesn’t cut it.
- I need to explain why what I did was wrong.
- I need to make an educated guess about how my choice affected them and listen to their feedback.
- Then I can say I’m sorry. Still not done, though.
- Next, I need to explain how I plan to change so I don’t do this again.
- Finally, I need to ask for their forgiveness.
All the steps are important to building relationship and modeling a right response to sin with our Heavenly Father.
My mistakes bless my children when I point them to God.
My mistakes bless my children when I use the opportunity to point them to the God who will never fail them like I do. I will fail my children. So, will you. It is simply unavoidable. Beyond apologizing and working to change we have the opportunity to teach them about God who does not fail them. Ever.
My children can learn to heal.
My children are blessed when they learn to walk through the process of turning a wound into a place of strength. I have learned to take my broken places to God. When my children have broken places I can teach them to do the same. I can teach them to take their broken heart to the only One who can fully heal it. I can teach them about a Savoir and High Priest who suffered every kind of wound they will ever suffer. Jesus understands. What a gift.
I can tell Him the lies I’m believing about Him or about myself in my brokenness. He takes those ashes and gives me the beauty of His truth instead. I teach my children to do the same.
