Give them Grace

This summer has been so refreshing to my soul.  I have seen my husband renewed and restored with rest and reading good books.  Drew and I have had lots of time to be together and enjoy our friends and family.  I have done a few home projects like refinishing our dining room table and spray painting the brass chandelier over that table cream.

The kids I get to take care of have been so precious and hilarious all at the same time.  Life is very funny with little kids around.

Drew bought me a book that I have been L-O-V-I-N-G!  I want to buy a copy for every single parent I know.  It's called Give Them Grace- Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson.

I'm only a few chapters in but already my heart is inspired by their words.  I was telling Drew that every other parenting book I have read has had some helpful ideas in it but usually I walk away thinking how will I ever remember all of that!  Defeat sets in quickly after.  This book has been so different.  It builds upon what God says is true of the human condition and how that condition is rescued.  One phrase that has been ringing in my head from the book is, "everything that is not gospel is law, everything that is not gospel is law."

This morning I was reading from Genesis.  When God created man and woman he said it was VERY GOOD!  Humans were in God's likeness and it was very good.  Very quickly when Adam and Eve chose not to believe that truth, disobedience entered into the world and so did brokenness.  We've been trying ever since to figure out how we can be called good again.  The self esteem movement in the 50's and 60's that reinforced this idea still lingers today.

The truth is that there has only been one good parent and one good son- God and Jesus Christ.  By believing in Jesus' work for us we are not only forgiven our wrong doing but also credited with his righteousness.

This is the premise of not only what I believe but what I want to point our children to.  There is hope but it's not in ourselves it's in Jesus alone.

I will never cease to be refreshed by that message!

When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God.  God brought you alive- right along with Christ!  Think of it!  All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's cross. (Col. 2:13-14 Message)