Yesterday I was talking to my father-in-law at lunch. He said "I wish I knew then what I know now about being a parent". As a grandfather my father-in-law is the most patient, loving and grace-filled man I could hope for for my kids. So I asked him to give me an example. He said "in the midst of giving kids the reason why and all that, show grace". WOW! I love it.
You know as I was thinking about that later I realised there is a gap between the parent I am now and the parent I want to be. And that gap can be described in five simple letters G.R.A.C.E.
This morning I was trying to get Caleb ready for the day in a real hurry. He started fiddling around and moving all over the bed refusing to keep still while I dressed him. Now right here is my trigger point for frustration. I could feel myself going down that path and then I stopped. I stopped right at the edge of the 'gap'.
Why? Becuase if I'm ever going to be th parent I am asking God to help me be, I need to fill the gap with grace. It's my choice! Right there I get to choose. And hopefully Caleb will experience something different in his dad - something that blesses his little heart. Becuase he deserves a patient, loving, grace-giving dad. It's not who I am yet but it's who I wan to be.
Blessings A.
Monday, June 2, 2008
S.O.A.P
SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. Google it and you will find some great resoureces to help you get thru the Bible in a year and grow closer to God at the same time. I've been using SOAP for a week now starting with Lamentations - not sure how that happened but anyway it has been fantastic. So I encourage you to get stuck into SOAP, the Word and your relationship with God. Blessings A.
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