Fathers and Mothers: Devotions from Time of GraceExemplo

Parenting: Forgive Them How do they do it? How do kids figure out so early how to push parents’ buttons? And why? Do they enjoy driving us crazy? Are they deaf? Brain-dead? I mean, they don’t pick up their clothes, they leave dirty dishes lying around, they hit their brother and then deny it, and then give us lip and eye rolls when we try to explain acceptable household behaviors. In our weaker moments, fatigue and self-pity can lead us to nurse an ongoing resentment toward our own children. What to do? One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter, thought that forgiving another person seven times was the absolute ultimate limit. “How many times shall I forgive my brother . . . seven times?” Listen to Jesus’ reply: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21,22). You know, if we just step back a little, our kids aren’t driving us any crazier than we made our own parents. And if we start limiting our patience and forgiveness with the other people in our lives, especially our kids, we are forgetting how often God still forgives us. In fact, I think one of the reasons God made childhood last so long is to teach parents how he feels about us. Our Lord Jesus nailed all our sins to his cross, and we can bask in daily mercy and forgiveness. We honor him not only by believing his gospel promise for us but by sharing it with the young sinners around us.