Lavish Grace

My husband writes excellent posts. I find him incredibly profound, and yet somehow easy to read and simple to understand. I am very fond of my head. 😀

He recently has written up a few posts expounding on principles that Mr. Wilson spoke on at a conference we attended in April. One of them discussed the emphasis on grace that we need to have with our children, just as God has with us (His children). Steven and I have constantly gone back to this theme of grace, grace, grace ever since the conference, and I feel like it is changing not only my parenting, but also many of my relationships in general (I posted this last fall, which is another great reminder of grace spilled into relationships). It is beautiful. It is freeing. It is powerful.

In this post Steven wrote emphasizing grace in parenting, he talks about how God lavishly dumps heaps of grace upon our heads, and how we need to imitate that by lavishly dumping it upon our children as well: “We should overflowingly spill grace to our kids.

Steven and I have discussed, on occasion, different ways that we spill grace to our Gabriel (and to our other babies too). Diligent, consistent training & discipline is one way we spill grace (one of our imitations of God). Teaching & indulging curiosity about God’s created world. Reading extra books at bedtime. Having a cookie picnic on the kitchen floor just for fun. Laughing over spilled milk instead of crying. Allowing jolly messes to be made (I’m thinking blanket forts, fingerpainting, and trucks in the mud) and joyfully cleaning them up. Adding bubbles to the bath. Not exasperating. Playing silly games over and over and over. Showing them how to use the vacuum. Teaching how bread is made, how to chop onions, how to pour lemonade. Taking them places, even if it’s just to the bank. Jumping in mud puddles, and following it up with a lesson on laundry while drinking hot cocoa. Singing, praying, going to church together. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper together.
This list could be endless, and I could go on & on — which just reiterates the point that we have endless opportunities to overflowingly spill grace to our kids. Especially because, as Steven says, faithful discipling & disciplining of our children is the first & foremost way of spilling grace upon them — and we all know that there are countless times in every day where we are able to spill that particular grace! 🙂

But what I really wanted to share here was a simple yet profound statement my husband said to me when we discussed this a few days ago:

  • Showing grace to our children isn’t just entering into their world — it is that, but it is only partly that. It is also allowing them to enter ours.

Isn’t that profound? And isn’t that excellent? How God-like!! Just as He enters our world, He allows us to enter His as well. In part now, and in fullness yet to come.
All honor, laud, and glory be to Him.

4 Replies to “Lavish Grace”

  1. Very beautiful writing and yes, profound!
    I love the concept of not only entering their world but letting them enter ours.
    I think that is the main issue in today’s society.
    So many parents don’t interact with their children. They don’t teach them by example or even really instruct them.
    My heart aches for all the children who are growing up, missing out on the beauty of a God centered family structure.

  2. I really needed to see this post! Thank you. Some days I get so busy with every day life that I forget to have fun with my kids ( or having grace for them as you put it.) I need to remember they need to have fun with their mama not just be taught how to do something or disciplined. Thank you again. Always Vicki

  3. yay! i LOVE this post! (i was about to email an older lady and ask if going to parks, museums, and beaches 4 days a week or so is “too much”. but i think i have my answer. as long as all the other household duties are being kept up, it’s not spoiling, it’s grace!) and next i’m headed to the link you referred to about spilling grace. i think i know which one it is, but i need to read it again. thank you for being gracious with me, my friend. and thank you for these reminders of the simple yet profound faces that grace can take with our kids. it makes me feel like these things i do that are so time consuming or messy or just for the kids are NOT a “waste” of *my* time (that’s a sentence loaded with attitudes and presuppositions, isn’t it?) it’s funny that you mention going to the bank; that is isaiah’s very favorite place b/c they give suckers. it makes him so happy, so sometimes we go just to withdraw $5 for nothing in particular, except for the suckers. 😉 and yesterday i found that 1 cup of flour keeps them happy for an hour, and then we can all sweep it up joyfully and shake our clothes out on the porch. 😉 have a great day spilling grace on your family.

  4. Thank you Melissa (& Stephen). What a lovely encouragement. I don’t need to add my 2 cents. I just want to take this to heart!

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