grace

How do we teach our children the idea of loving one another, but not accepting the sin of another as ok? How can we teach our children right and wrong without condoning another for their (wrong) actions? For example... I was riding behind a man and his mother, both have visited our old church. The mother had her arm out the window, holding a lit cigarette. My immediate thoughts were judgmental ones (to my dismay, for which I asked God for forgiveness - being honest here). But, it got me to thinking. I want Lynn to know that smoking is not good for her, that she needs to avoid cigarettes and smoking. However, I do not want her to walk away with the idea that those that do smoke (or insert anything else) are any less "better" of an individual than her because she chooses the better path.

"Grace is revealed in the cross, which reminds us that Jesus paid the price for our sin and the sins of our children. The cross shows us we deserve nothing but judgment and hell, but we, like our children, are saved only by grace. This grace understands that we don't get to claim the moral high ground, looking down on the poor sinners beneath us... When we gaze at the cross and see that it is all by grace and not by our merit, we see the Gospel as truly great. We also see that the Gospel is not just important for conversion, but is important each and every day of our lives. We openly admit that we are no better than any other sinner. We all need grace." p 158 of ApParent Privilege by Steve Wright.

That is what I want to convey to my children. We gaze at the cross and see that it is all by grace. I want to have a spirit that oozes that thankfulness. To be a person that demonstrates that same grace in loving my children and others. That when I see an individual, I see another person whom God has sacrificed His son to save. To not view myself more highly than another just because of blessings I have received or choices I have made. And that is all what I want to teach my children. I just feel so unqualified to do that when I myself am so unqualified for the grace that was given to me. I guess that's the point.