Receiving Grace from God
Living life in the grace of God.
Heart
“I’ll do it myself!” My youngest son is a very independent child. From a young age, he has been determined to do things for himself. This is an admirable quality, even when what he wants to do runs in conflict with either his size, abilities, or both. This can at times cause frustration, both for him as well as for my wife and me as his parents.
Our natural desire is to fix things ourselves. This is more than just an American value, though the ethos of American culture does tend to emphasize the self-made person to a degree stronger than most other world cultures. However, our tendency to do it ourselves runs headlong into the nature of God’s grace for us.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul in recounting God’s response to his request to have the thorn in his flesh removed, notes that God indicated to him that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Receiving help when we need it is a sign of maturity, whether that means my getting help from my more mechanically inclined wife or assisting my son put the dishes away safely. A part of our maturity as disciples is in the receiving of help and there is no more critical area of help needed than the role Christ plays in our salvation.
Receiving that free grace from Christ, without hanging on to our human notions that we have to do this ourselves begins with an attitude of humility. In talking with our children about receiving God’s grace, there is a need to help them understand why we need God’s grace in order to begin to comprehend the wonder of the depth of that grace. Now, I am not suggesting morbidly talking about sin. There is a lot about the sin in this world that is not age-appropriate for our younger kids, but they can and must understand what it means to do wrong.
When you see that guilty look that tells you that they have been up to something even before you know if anything got broken, this might be an opportune time to chat about the nature of sin. Again this needs to be done at their level. This is not a time for an in-depth theological discussion, but a personal exploration of what it practically means in their lives (and yours as well) that we sin.
Sin is best understood when felt. We know sin best when we feel either our own guilt or the impact of sins committed against us. It is in those moments that we are able to explore the nature of sin and help our children understand their need for the grace of God. This is the critical part of the conversation. As much as there is a need to come to a realistic understanding of our sin, we need to avoid leaving our children feeling the full weight of it. When we see that they understand what they have done and get the connection between the way they have fallen short as sin, it is time for some Gospel.
In addition to being a very independent child, our youngest is also a high-touch kid. There are times when what he needs more than anything else is to know the love of his parents through our embrace. Even before understanding this need of his, we had been in the habit of reinforcing our forgiveness of him with a hug. There is something restorative about physical touch. I have recently learned that he needs to be ready to receive, even when we both know what he needs. Just as God prepares our hearts to hear HIs Gospel grace, I need to watch for signs that my son is ready and open to receiving a fill-up on his love tank. It is during that time that he is able to overcome his stubbornness (something he gets honestly from me) and readies his heart to humbly be open to receiving grace from his parents and his God.
I believe that is one reason that Christ’s coming to bring His grace and forgiveness to us personally and in the flesh is so vital in our lives. As parents, we can disciple our children, preparing them to receive God’s grace by reflecting with them on how they receive grace from us through our vocation as their parents. We return God’s grace by sharing it with those He calls us to serve, preparing our children to humbly receive grace and love from us and in turn from the source of all grace and love, our Lord Jesus Christ.
