Grace. Gratia
This is how God looks at us. Always, because of Christ.
This is what I’m missing with my children.
It’s “prepare for battle” the moment I wake up.
I need time, time in the morning to get myself at the foot of the cross. Time to dwell on grace. Time to bask in God’s free and ready favor for me.
THIS
Gives me free and ready favor for my children; even the battle hardened ones.
The ones that fight for control at every turn.
Yes, I must stand firm – I must be the boundaries for them when they push, and push, and push. This gives them security. I’ve already seen it begin to wear away their hardened walls, but, there’s always another battle to be won and I must show up with love in my heart – not steel.
Think about babies.
How do we look at them?
We draw them in, we smile, we coo. We are happy.
This is how God looks at believers because of Christ. We are His beloved baby. We make Him happy – always- because of Jesus. There is never a moment when our sin is bigger than Christ’s sacrifice. He freely and happily brings Himself near, coos happy sounds in our ear, smiles genuine invitation at us and covers us in kisses.
This is the free and ready favor, the grace, I so often miss with my own children.
How does this happen?
Because they’re not innocent little creatures who just want to be held, I tell myself.
But neither are babies. Sometimes babies scream at us, or cry, or swat us away, but still, in those moments, we come to them with warmth and care. We aren’t closed off and hardened. We aren’t numb to who they are as a person just because we’ve picked up anger-thrown cheerios a hundred times before.
It’s this same favor, the free ready-to-give-and-to-love even in the midst of the ugly kind of favor. It’s the genuine desire to draw our child close even when they’ve culpably suited up for battle kind of favor that is grace.
And this is what I need the Holy Spirit to bring to bear in my soul today.
Grace
(Note: The phrase “free and ready favor” was my inspiration for this post. It comes directly from Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces
Free Resource on Attachment
Fostering a secure relationship with your kiddos is oh, so important! Here are 4 elements of a secure attachment and activities to establish it with your children. Put your email address here and “click” so I can send it to you.
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