{"id":2773,"date":"2012-03-27T01:00:53","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T08:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/?p=2773"},"modified":"2012-03-27T00:17:14","modified_gmt":"2012-03-27T07:17:14","slug":"what-i-would-do-differently-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/27\/what-i-would-do-differently-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Would Do Differently, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\u201cFor by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast\u201d<\/em> (Eph 2:8-9).<\/p>\n

If we are saved by grace alone and not by our works, we can rest in the truth that our children<\/em> are saved by grace alone and not by their works \u2013 or ours<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We can quit worrying about whether we\u2019re doing everything right<\/strong>, because we can\u2019t <\/em>do everything right. <\/em>And God knows we can\u2019t. He knew we couldn\u2019t when He gave a child to the world\u2019s first parents.<\/p>\n

We can quit worrying that we will make mistakes that will derail God\u2019s plan for our children.<\/strong> God knows the plans He has for each of our children, and He will carry them out. We will <\/em>make mistakes, but\u00a0He is much stronger than any mistake we can make.<\/p>\n

We can quit kicking ourselves for the parenting mistakes we have already made<\/strong>, and rest in the fact that God understands our weakness. \u201cLike as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust\u201d <\/em>(Psalm 103:13-14). He will forgive when we repent, and He will weave our failures into His bigger picture and still work out His sovereign plan.<\/p>\n

We can quit trying to force<\/em> our kids to conform when they don\u2019t respond <\/strong>to our guaranteed-to-work methods the way we think they should. We can present them with the truth, disciple them along the way, and trust God to keep working, to keep sanctifying.<\/p>\n

Yes, I have a job to do. I am called to obey Him, and called to the good work of discipling my children. God will discipline me if I choose to neglect that work. But my works do not bring about their salvation any more than they accomplish my own. I have nothing to boast about.<\/p>\n

What would I do differently if I were starting again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would, by God’s grace, remember more often that He<\/em> is in control. I’m not<\/em>.\u00a0I would trust Him more,<\/strong> knowing that I and my children are in His strong and gracious hands. It’s not about me and my works, and that’s good news<\/strong>. It’s about Jesus and His finished work on the cross. It’s about grace — God’s undeserved favor poured out on our household because of His Son.<\/p>\n

“For we are His<\/strong> workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” <\/em>(Ephesians 2:10).<\/p>\n

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(Photo from Shutterstock.com)<\/p>\n

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