don't leave out the best part

So yesterday I had to discipline a certain child regarding some very silly errors in judgment they made regarding arguing and submitting to authority. I then had to hear the words that are bittersweet to every parent - "I hate you." They are bitter because they hurt. And they are sweet because somehow you know if you hear those words every once in awhile you might just be on the right track as a parent, walking the road that millions of other parents have traveled.

After a cooling off period, this poor kiddo then came and got me to apologize. And then the regret began to set in big time as they sobbed their remorse and frustration over such silly mistakes.

Of course I offered forgiveness. And like many times before, in an effort to console, I reminded them that those feelings of regret, and their conscience are meant to help keep them from making the same mistakes next time. And then we moved on about our day.

But then Jesus.

He very clearly and gently spoke to my heart. As the Lord and I walked back through my parenting approach, He showed me that I had disciplined my child and left them with an admonition to basically "try harder next time," with the the hope that as they mature, they will eventually quit making those silly mistakes. I slowly realized that any hope in that is false hope at best. And that I had left out the best part - grace.

Our sin doesn't just point to our failures, it points to our need for a Savior. Those feelings of regret and frustration that my child was having yesterday were basically the sum of the Old Testament. They are exactly what Paul describes in Romans 7 when he talks about the struggle between who he wants to be and who he actually is - a sinner.

"Wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

This regret is the part my parenting was able to produce. But if that's as far as it goes, it's a pretty dismal outlook.

But "Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

This promise of grace is the only thing that will offer a reliable hope to my child as they grow. A hope not in being a better person, but in being a completely new person in Christ.

Needless to say there were more conversations at bedtime. So thankful for the way the Lord shepherds my heart as I shepherd these little ones.

discipleship

This is the 3rd summer that Rob has taken our oldest son with him to help out with luggage at camp on the weekends. They spend several hours each Sunday carrying the campers' trunks and suitcases from their cars to their cabins. And then on Saturdays from the cabins back to the cars. It is hard, hot, dirty work. But I have never seen two people who are more fulfilled than they are when they come home exhausted, smiling, and soaked in sweat.

The first summer, they had to team up on the trunks, each one carrying one side. But apparently boys grow really quickly. By the next summer Noah had grown enough to carry a trunk on his own. I don't know if I've ever seen him more proud of anything.

Today as I was waiting to take them home, one last camper arrived, meaning one more trunk and duffle bag had to be delivered. I watched as Noah struggled with this bag and it's cumbersome weight. After several attempts to adjust it and be able to get it the couple hundred yards to its destination, I saw a staffer come over to rescue him. But instead of taking the bag from Noah, or even sharing the load with him, he simply showed him a better way to carry it on his own.

What a beautiful picture of discipleship.

Young men especially don't need to be rescued from trials or hard work, but they do need older men to show them the ropes. Sometimes they will need help to carry the load, but as they mature they will need help with HOW to carry the load. (And an occasional reminder to drink plenty of water.)