The other night, as the boys were getting ready to go to bed, Grant went to brush his teeth. Ethan had just finished brushing his and was snug in his bed. I heard Grant in the bathroom, "Mom. Ethan made a mess in the sink. There is toothpaste everywhere. He didn't clean up after himself.""Grant, have you ever heard the Bible verse about taking the plank out of your own eye? {No} Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matt 7:3)
Between my three littles, pointing out specks is commonplace.
"What does that mean?" Grant asked.
"Instead of being so quick to point out Ethan's faults, why don't you give him a little grace. There have been plenty of mornings when I have cleaned your toothpaste out of the sink. I'm guessing Daddy has gone behind me to clean up my toothpaste, too. Jesus is saying don't look at other's imperfections when we have our own to deal with.
Do your kiddos do this? Point out specks? I want to encourage my boys to serve each other (like wiping up the toothpaste) and to overlook non-issues. We spend way too much time dealing with these little battles. We're getting there, slowly but surely.
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FYI - A sweet friend recommended a wonderful book to me. I tell you, if I could physically ingest it, I would try. It is called Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson. Next time you go to the book store, look it up. It is yummy. Have you read any books that have made a positive impact on your parenting?
I liked boundaries with kids.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite parenting books are Don't Make me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman and Sheparding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp and also Wise Words for Moms also by Ginger Plowman
ReplyDeleteOh...why is it that disciplining my children reveals my own flaws, my own sin? Because, this is something I am guilty of all too often. I'm always complaining to my hubby that he doesn't wash the table clean when he cleans up after a meal, he leaves his clothes in a pile on the floor, etc, etc...when I really should be offering him the same grace Christ gave me. Because I'm certain there are times when he wonders the same kind of things about me. And yet he is so much more patient than me. My prayer is that God would teach me to love my kids the way He loves me...to extend grace the way He offers me grace...to discipline them in love the way He gently corrects me.
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