Is it just me, or do we all question just about everything we do as parents? When I go to bed at night, doubts creep in. As I replay my actions of the day, I find myself wondering: Was I too harsh on the kids or was I too lenient? Did I spend enough time with them or should I take more “me” time? Am I teaching them to be independent, but also dependent on God? Ugh… I fed them Oreos for breakfast again… for the third day in a row. How are they ever going to grow into functioning adults?
If I allow myself to dwell on all my shortcomings as a mom, I can begin to feel overwhelmed. It’s in those moments that I find myself praying, “Lord, please make up for my shortcomings with Your all-consuming goodness.” He knows the prayer of my heart, and He also knows how frail my human spirit is. All He wants is for me to try my hardest with His help… and He will do the rest.
Since this is something I am sure we all struggle with as parents, how are we supposed to teach our kids to rely on God’s goodness? Something my husband and I have discussed recently is how to teach our kids to fail. We WANT them to fail… because if they don’t fail they will never learn how to succeed. Let’s not raise our kids living life in a bubble. We want to teach them to try new things. Put them in uncomfortable situations (ones that are closely monitored by us as the parents). Teach them to be giving to others even when looked down upon. Help them to learn that it is ok to fail as long as they are trying their hardest and seeking God.
I have learned throughout the years that the easiest time to see the goodness of God is when I am failing miserably. It is in these moments that I see how perfect He is and how imperfect I am! He knows that we will mess up (and mess up often), but He wants us to run to Him and lean on Him because His goodness will fill us up and fill our gaps!
We want to teach our kids to let God work through them. He is powerful enough to work despite them, but He wants to use them to further His cause. When our love isn’t big enough, His love can shine through. When our failures seem too big to overcome, He can raise us above them. When we think something is impossible. He proves that we can “do all things through Christ who strengthens” us. (Philippians 4:13)
Let’s teach our kids about the goodness of God. Allow them to see His almighty power and His great, great love. His goodness can overcome our imperfectness because His “power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) HIS goodness covers our gaps. Kids will never learn about the goodness of God from those around them… they need to experience His goodness for themselves!
Good Good Father – based on the popular worship song sung by Chris Tomlin – is one great resource for teaching our young children about the goodness of God. I was able to get a sneak peak of this sweet picture book and I highly recommend it! It’s something kids can read and understand, and it totally opens up a conversation with them on so many levels!
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Your Turn
Do your children enjoy trying new things? What are some ways you can allow your kids to fail in a way that’s ultimately positive, so that they learn to rely on God more? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
