Thursday, August 12, 2010

When Our Sons Stumble

When Our Sons Stumble



By Sandra on August 11, 2010 in Sons of ThunderOur children will fail. They will sin. They will stumble. They will disappoint us. Our children aren’t perfect.


So what do we do when they don’t meet our expectations? When they sin?
We can follow Jesus’ example–give grace, guidance, and an opportunity to grow.
First, we show grace. Generous, lavish, unconditional, amazing grace. Grace that says I love you, I know you are sorry, and I know you will make a better decision next time.
Jesus was patient with the disciples when they failed, especially Peter. During Jesus’ last days, Peter failed Jesus by denying Him three times (Luke 22:54-62). Failure on top of failure on top of failure. After denying he knew Jesus for the third time, Luke 22:61-62 says, “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.”
But after the resurrection, the women found an angel in Jesus’ tomb who said to them, “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee” (Mark 16:7, emphasis mine). Grace reaches Peter before Peter even reaches Jesus! When Peter heard of Jesus’ resurrection, he wasn’t scared of Jesus’ reaction to his sin. “Peter rose and ran to the tomb,” Luke 24:12 says. May our children also run to us with repentance, knowing that we will show them grace and acceptance.
We also give guidance. Jesus continued to be patient with the disciples after the resurrection as all the pieces to the puzzle began to come together in their minds. In John 20:21-22 Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you… Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus told them what to do and promised the help of the Holy Spirit to continue to guide them. We can also help our children see the right path and remind them of the Holy Spirit’s guidance in their lives.
And even though Peter had failed, Jesus not only showed grace and gave guidance, He also gave Peter an opportunity to grow. In John chapter 12, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Then He challenges Peter to care for His sheep- His people. In spite of Peter’s failure, God still had a plan for his life. And Jesus gave Peter the specific call to minister to His people. Stumbling does not automatically disqualify us for service (aren’t we all thankful for that!). We can also give our children the opportunity to grow through the consequences of their actions and help them move on in life.
We can follow Jesus’ example when our sons stumble as we give grace, guidance, and an opportunity to grow.


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