A Letter to My Kids
Dear children,
I pray that, in spite of my imperfections, my life may teach you three lessons:
1) You do not have to earn God's approval or love. Conditional love is not love at all. Romans 5:8 says, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us," - not once we had achieved perfection, but while we still sinned. A baby can do nothing to earn approval. Instead, a mother loves her baby simply because he is her child. Similarly, God also loves us solely because we are His children, His precious creations, on whom He chooses to bestow love. He gives it freely, and we can do nothing to deserve it. I pray that my unconditional acceptance of you mirrors that of God and allows you to feel safe in His arms, trusting His unfailing love for you.
2) Learn to speak God's "love language" - obedience. John 14:15 says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." You cannot earn God's love, nor do you need to earn it. However, if you truly love God, you will show Him by obeying. Furthermore, just as I cannot neglect you if I genuinely love you, you cannot neglect obedience if you love God.
3) Lean on God's grace. No matter how much you love God and seek to obey Him, you will never reach perfection. Because you are human, "sons and daughters of Adam" (as C.S. Lewis writes), you will disobey God. But, God loves you too much to abandon you to sin. When you fail, you can always rely on God's grace. Jesus died and took your punishment for sin, and when you call on Him, you get a fresh start - every time. He does not say, "But you've done this twenty times before!" Instead, He welcomes you into His arms, wipes the record clean, and sets you free to try again. Never become so bogged down in your failure that you forget about God's grace. Pride says, "Christ's death could not cover my sin," or, "I expect myself to be perfect, so I cannot admit my mistakes." Humility, on the other hand, confesses sin and accepts God's grace to continue living for Him.
I truly desire to model each of these lessons for you, and I pray that when I fail, you will see God's grace in me. I love you, and God loves you so much more than I do.
In love,
Mom
I pray that, in spite of my imperfections, my life may teach you three lessons:
1) You do not have to earn God's approval or love. Conditional love is not love at all. Romans 5:8 says, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us," - not once we had achieved perfection, but while we still sinned. A baby can do nothing to earn approval. Instead, a mother loves her baby simply because he is her child. Similarly, God also loves us solely because we are His children, His precious creations, on whom He chooses to bestow love. He gives it freely, and we can do nothing to deserve it. I pray that my unconditional acceptance of you mirrors that of God and allows you to feel safe in His arms, trusting His unfailing love for you.
2) Learn to speak God's "love language" - obedience. John 14:15 says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." You cannot earn God's love, nor do you need to earn it. However, if you truly love God, you will show Him by obeying. Furthermore, just as I cannot neglect you if I genuinely love you, you cannot neglect obedience if you love God.
3) Lean on God's grace. No matter how much you love God and seek to obey Him, you will never reach perfection. Because you are human, "sons and daughters of Adam" (as C.S. Lewis writes), you will disobey God. But, God loves you too much to abandon you to sin. When you fail, you can always rely on God's grace. Jesus died and took your punishment for sin, and when you call on Him, you get a fresh start - every time. He does not say, "But you've done this twenty times before!" Instead, He welcomes you into His arms, wipes the record clean, and sets you free to try again. Never become so bogged down in your failure that you forget about God's grace. Pride says, "Christ's death could not cover my sin," or, "I expect myself to be perfect, so I cannot admit my mistakes." Humility, on the other hand, confesses sin and accepts God's grace to continue living for Him.
I truly desire to model each of these lessons for you, and I pray that when I fail, you will see God's grace in me. I love you, and God loves you so much more than I do.
In love,
Mom
posted by Keeper of the Zoo | 2:59 PM
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