Transcript
No parent gives mercy better than the parent who is deeply persuaded he needs it himself and I want to welcome you to embrace the reality of who you are. The truth is, as parents, we're more like our children than unlike us. I can be so impatient. I can be so irritable. I can say such unkind things. I can be so needlessly critical. I can take my bad day out on little ones who are not responsible for it. When I'm humbly able to say it's impossible for me to do the things that God has called me to do without His mercy, then I want that mercy for my children, too. It's that tenderness of heart that makes me tender with my children.
Parenting Is a Lifelong Mission of Mercy
The bottom-line is this. Parenting is a life-long mission of mercy. In a real way, you're called to be God's first responders. What does a first responder do? He's propelled by awareness of need and a courageous desire to meet that need with the rescue that he can order.
First responders aren't just there to judge or criticize or give you a lecture about how you got yourself in a mess. Imagine if you're in a burning building and your first responder just lectures you about fire safety and walks away. You're in deep trouble.
You see, parenting is about more. Yes, you want your children to be aware of how they got themselves in the situation that they're in, but you want to rescue them with mercy, with forgiveness, with wisdom, with guidance, with help, with love. In moments where your children need your help, remember your need of mercy and rush toward them with the power and the beauty of God's mercy.
