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Tea Time Tuesday
“By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Eph. 2:8-9
Grace, not works, gives us strength.
We strive to make the best decisions we hope will shape in our children a life of true faith in God. We teach biblical morality, emphasize “do’s and don’ts,” read devotions to them, hope that somehow we will cultivate “spiritually alive” children. Yet, we can't by sheer force or the right formulas, or devotional curriculum make our children spiritual.
There is a mysterious process by which the Holy Spirit leads our children to see their need for Christ as we seek to cultivate their hearts. But it is entirely led by grace, informed by love, and carried out by the help of the Holy Spirit.
We put so much pressure on ourselves as mothers, then judge ourselves to be failures if we miss devotions, home cooked meals, a “tuck in” every night.
While it is incredibly wonderful to set our standards high, to live within these ideals.
Yet, we must hold ourselves to a standard of grace, not perfection.
None of us will ever be perfect, but we are the exact mothers our children need.
The grace of God is given in the midst of our circumstances, his peace comes when our difficulties would suggest otherwise. We cast our burdens on God because we cannot carry them. We choose joy by faith because we know, “in His presence is fullness of joy,” This is grace, favor because he loves us, seeks our companionship, has mercy.
Yet, we won't be able to have grace for our children if we do not have grace ourselves.
Galatians 5:1 reminds:
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Are there ways in your life that you try to live up to false expectations of others?
In my home, we did our best, but our best was certainly not perfection. We hoped they would respond passionately to their Creator by the grace, truth we lived out every day. We are not guided by culture, or what others feel is the “right way,” but we are led by God, His merciful love. We walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and rest in His grace.