Wednesday Wisdom Tip – Grace is a Verb


 

I know you hear it in the back seat of your car:

“Why does he talk so much? Wow, is he ever annoying.”

Hanging out in the kitchen:

“Did you see her cleavage? She is just trying way too hard.”

Coming from the upstairs, little sister asks again, “Can I please hang out with you and your friends?” Your older daughter thinks: “When will she grow up and leave me alone!”

Did Jesus ever struggle like this? Annoyed by where people were at in their lives? Irritated with their short comings?

John 21: 15 – 19 would tell us “no”; love compels him to see them as they will be one day.

When Jesus called Simon he was your average fisherman. Yet, Jesus gave him a new name – Peter. Peter means “rock”. Jesus saw the solid man that Peter would become one day. He saw past the current laborer and past the future guy who would one day deny him three times. What Jesus saw was the Peter who would one day spread the good news of Jesus death for our sins all over Asia and become one of the pillars of the Christian church.

Jesus’ love for Peter allowed him to see past Peter’s shortcomings to the man he would become as he gave up everything to follow Jesus.

His love does the same in you and in your child. He sees the one that you and I are becoming each day. He sees us choose his way over our own. He sees the confident girl, sharing her faith with her actions of love. He believes in the unselfish girl to come, making his name famous by putting others before herself. He looks to the best of who you will become as you allow him to revolutionize your life with his love.

Jesus wants to empower you and your child with this same love to see others the way that he sees them. Envision the chatterbox boy self-assured because he knows he is wanted. See the immodest girl in the lunch room no longer needing to draw attention to herself; she has Jesus’ attention to fill that need. Picture the little sister grown up as a mature woman who has become their best friend.

We need to teach our children:

Jesus sees you as you will be one day; see other’s the same. 

 

The winner from yesterday’s post is Sheila at [email protected]. Congratulations Sheila! Please send me your full name and address and I will send you the signed copy of “His Revolutionary Love” and the Starbuck’s gift card!

Lynn

7 Comments

  1. I really like these words of wisdom and I hope I remember to do this. God Bless!

  2. Karen Jones says:

    Congrats Sheila!!

  3. Tammy McKinney says:

    I may be missing it….but what is the verse for the day?!

    1. Sorry Tammy! I was reading in John 21:15 – 21 🙂

  4. This word is where I live. I had one of my teenagers tell me that I am too critical of her friends, so she doesn’t want to bring any boys home to meet me. My three girls are 17-20. I thought this would be an easier phase for them. In the pre and early teens it was the “bra strap issue”, then it was 3 layers of straps and who could tell what was a bra strap anymore. Then it was trying to find the right size of pants without a hole in them “On purpose!” We lived through that one too. Now after trying to keep them from being too critical of people it turns around and they say I am too critical of people. I feel that every word that comes from my mouth is judge.
    This has been very hard. I went from being the ‘cool mom’ last summer to being anything but cool. “Didn’t you even get dressed today?”, “can’t you put on some makeup, drink some coffee and perk up for me?” This was after a day that I had spent 6 hours in classes, worked 3 hours and came home to a cold empty house that needed a fire started. Yes, I had wore makeup (and my new designer jeans that she hasn’t noticed.) I am a full time student and an intern. My favorite sweat shirt was in the wash and my cozy robe was what I grabbed to throw over my clothes until the house warmed up.
    Do other working mom’s deal with this and their teenage daughters? I’m the worse mother in the world right now for going back to school and not just getting a full time job when their dad wasn’t working to support us. Now I do it all, mom, student, intern, taxi driver, church leader… I get told, “someday they will know what you did and appreciate you.” My son seems to appreciate me (he is 15), and for that he is called my favorite.
    So, I do understand how everyone can be critical of the “Now” and I want to look from God’s eyes and see the “Then”. He see the completed picture and I see the back of the counted cross stitch that I have tried so hard to make look nice.
    Shalom Ladies.

    1. Deena, I am so so sorry friend. Our children just cannot know what life is like at this stage until they get there.

      May God give you the strength and the courageous to be gracious; even when they are not!

      1. Thank you for listening. B)

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