Recently, at a family party, my daughter had a fever. I had warned her over and over again not breathe on or touch anybody. My family knew she was sick and decided to come anyway. When everybody arrived we were saying hello and hugging each other. My sister-in-law, Michelle and I exchanged hugs, and my daughter was standing behind her. She smiled and said, “Air hug!” and hugged the air around her auntie. Aunt Michelle reached down and gave my daughter a huge hug. You should have seen the smile that spread across my little girl’s face. It was brilliant. The joy that hug produced could have electrified Las Vegas for a week.

Later that evening, as I was thinking about the day, I remembered the hug. I was thinking about what made it so special. The fact that Michelle had chosen to touch Allie, knowing Allie wasn’t feeling well is what made it extraordinary. Allie didn’t expect a hug; she knew she shouldn’t be touched.

The situation brought to mind Jesus life here on earth. It was categorized by coming in contact with the sick. He touched the untouchable lepers. He gave sight to the blind. He brought life to the dead and the dying. He didn’t mind being surrounded by those who were sick. It is amazing really; all of his life was a giving up of health and comfort.

It doesn’t stop there though. He didn’t just heal those who were sick physically. He actually touched those who were morally unclean. He allowed a prostitute to wash his feet. He shared meals with the tax collectors. Romans 8:3-4 takes that even a step further, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” He doesn’t just come in contact with sinners, he doesn’t just try to help the morally unfit become better. He actually came to condemn our sin, by fulfilling the law for us. He came to take our moral sickness, our sin, and give us his righteousness. What he did was so much more than a hug, it was an embrace that covered him in our filth and made us perfectly clean all at the same time. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) Here Jesus’ words to you today, all we are required to do is receive his love and believe that we are the sinners he came to call. Then we can experience the unending joy of being the recipient of love that is underserved, a touch that is shockingly unexpected and forgiveness that covers all our sins.

I came across this devotional from John MacDuff today and I thought I would share it.

"As a father pities his children — so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are but dust!" — Psalm 103:13-14

What feelings on earth are to be compared, in depth and intensity, to those that link a parent to his children? Has some member of his family been unjustly wronged? Many a man would willingly submit to unmerited injury and ridicule — bear in silence the tongue of calumny and slander, and receive in silence the arrows of unkindness — who could not rest thus unmoved under the affront or stigma attempted to be fastened on his child.

Or does the parent see his child in suffering? He could himself bear pain with comparative composure; but when he sees slow, torturing disease ploughing its furrows on the young cheek, and dimming the luster of the young eye — the iron enters into his soul; he would gladly even risk his own life — were that of his loved one endangered. Many a father has stood by an early grave, and said, through anguished tears, "I wish that I could have died — rather than you!"

Behold, O believer, in the loving, pitying thoughts; and tender pitying deeds of the earthly parent — a picture and symbol of God's thoughts and God's love to you! No, more — He identifies Himself with the sufferings and wrongs of His children. Injure them — and you injure Him! He who touches them — touches the apple of His eye. He says, as David said to Abiathar, "Abide with me, for he who seeks your life, seeks my life — but with me you shall be in safeguard."

When and where does this pitying love of God begin? "And when he was yet a great way off — his father saw him!" God's thoughts of pity were upon us — when we had no thought of pity on ourselves. And at this hour, too, is He pitying us — in our weakness, in our sorrows, in our temptations, in our difficulties, in our perplexities. Many an earthly father can make only a little allowance for the weakness and feebleness of his offspring. Not so our heavenly Father. "He remembers that we are but dust." When Job was greatly perplexed and downcast by the bitter reflections of his adversaries, this was his comfort, "But He knows the way that I take!"

See how these same thoughts of pitying love, like the ivy clasping the battered ruin, cling even around His wayward, backsliding children, "Is not Israel still My son, My darling child? I had to punish him — but I still love him. I long for him and surely will have mercy on him." Oh, blessed assurance, this great Being loves me, pities me — pities me and loves me even in the midst of my truant forgetfulness, ungrateful wandering — and continues to call me His "darling child." I have in Him a love in which fatherhood, brotherhood, sisterhood, are all combined!

Arise, go to your Father! He is waiting and willing to welcome you to His embrace. He asks elsewhere, in a passage which touchingly describes His thoughts (His loving, paternal thoughts) at work, "How shall I put you among the children?" The gospel plan of salvation has answered that question — solved that Divine problem of parental love. Jesus has opened a way of access to the heavenly household — and made us heirs to all these precious thoughts of a Father's heart! Seated under Calvary's cross — we can exclaim in grateful transport,

"How great is the love which the Father has lavished on us — that we should be called children of God! And that is what we really are!"

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My hope is that this devotional encouraged you to take a deep breath of the Father's love for His children. Pray that the Holy Spirit reminds you of this love while you parent your children today.

There are days when I wake up feeling ill-equipped for what lies ahead. Days when I can already feel the impatience and unkindness bubbling below the surface waiting to drench anybody that gets close to me. Days when I am overwhelmed at the thought of working through one more issue. Days when all I want is to sit in the sun, sleep, or read and have no one talk to me. (Yes, I know it is winter for most of you, but here in San Diego we have had two weeks of the most glorious 75 degree weather) 

Those days are typically wrought from previous nights of hard questions from my children, lots of sinning, lots of unbelief, lots of anger, and that all mainly from me. What is my hope when my child tells me that thinking about Jesus and the gospel doesn't help anything, or when my sweet sensitive child, tells me that they can't stop thinking about all the bad things they have done, or yet another one tells me that when I am trying to encourage, all I do is make them feel bad for how they act? What is my hope when I see that I don't even live like I believe the truth that God gave His Son to make me His own? What is my hope when all the other cares in my heart silence the truth? What is my hope when I'm not even sure I understand one sentence of the Bible when I'm reading it in the morning?

My only hope is Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus." No condemnation? How crazy is that?!? My heart condemns me unceasingly. I'm not a good enough parent. My hope: Of course not, that is why I need a Savior. I don't know the gospel how can I share it with these children? My hope: I am not alone in this, it is the Holy Spirit that will make the gospel alive to my children, not my eloquent speeches. I don't even want to share the gospel with these children. My hope: There is no condemnation.

I long to parent in the light of "no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus." My anger and guilt for how I parent only hurts my family. When I see the deficiencies in my parenting I blame it on the kids I got, or how everyone else doesn't do what they should, or the fact that I homeschool, or... you fill in the blank. As I feel this desperate attempt to blame anybody but myself, I am bitter, unkind, unforgiving, and generally not fun to be around. But when I see all my sins as a parent are paid for, that there is no wrath left for me, I am free to love them. I am free to love my Redeemer, my Rescuer, the Lover of my Soul. I don't have to feel guilt or try to justify my sin. It is all paid for. It is finished. So, on those days, I will bathe fully in the sun of No Condemnation. Let that warm my heart, let that give me peace, and then love on my kids, and be grateful for my Savior. Please join me and take a few minutes to catch some rays.

I sat in my self-righteous disgust and horror watching the show Toddlers and Tiaras. I kept asking myself how these parents could use their children in such a horrible way. It was obvious that these moms and dads needed to have their children win the pageant to somehow boost their own worth. Everything they were was completely wrapped up in the way their children looked and performed. They were Adam and Eve in the garden using fig leaves to cover their own nakedness and shame. Only their fig leaves were their poor children. The approval they were looking for would need to come from the work another, but not from the works of their children.

 

And then in struck me, so often this is my own heart too. Of course, I don't dress my little girl up in a $3,000 gown and adorn her with fake eye lashes, veneers and high heels. But I do push her to act a certain way in front of others so that I look like the good mom. I want others to think that we have our act together. My identity is also wrapped up in the performance of my children. On the days that they are sweet and obedient and lovely to be around, I do the pageant walk. Head held high, with a bit of a swagger. On the days where they are unkind, disobedient, and all together unlovely, I am angry and depressed.

 

 I have some how decided that my identity the truth about who I am, is tied to my children's performance and their love for me. I have decided that this is the fig leaf I will use to take away my shame and my nakedness. My child's love and obedience is what I have often used as my own good works to make me acceptable before God. I have stopped loving them and started using them. The ugliness of sin is astounding. Of course, when I am using them to fulfil my own desire to think well of myself, the pressure for them to perform mounts. I am angry and demanding when they fail. There is no room for grace or patience or kindness. They must win the adoration from others that I need to approve of myself. They must give me love and respect; after all I am most certainly worth it.

 

On the days that it feels like I am a terrible mom or a spectacular mom, I must remind myself that my identity is not tied up in my mothering. The truth is I am a terrible mom; this is why I need a Savior. My heavenly Father has made the sacrifice to cover my nakedness and shame. Just as he was faithful to strip Adam and Eve of their silly fig leaves, sacrifice the life of another to clothe them with real clothing; He is faithful to strip me of false identity and cloth me in the righteousness of Jesus. When I am resting in his work, I am free to love my kids the way I've been loved. He does not love me based on my performance, but rather, based on the performance of my Savoir. Because of that truth, I can love my children freely and joyfully. I can rejoice in the full, steadfast love of my Heavenly Father and share that happiness with all those around me.

This is a guest post from my (Jessica) pastor Jesse Winkler. You can find his occasional blog post and church website here. I personally am grateful to Jesse for feeding my families soul with gospel grace every Sunday.

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It wasn’t long ago that I treated my wife harshly in front of my kids and said some things I shouldn’t have said. And it wasn’t long after that, that I was impatient and unkind with my kids and spoke to them out of frustration. So there I was, the supposed exemplary husband and father whom they looked up to and wanted to be like, completely letting them down.

One of the biggest struggles I have as a father to three boys and a girl is fighting the urge to pretend that I have it all together. To reduce what it means to lead my children and be their example to merely keeping all the rules myself. Of course, the reason why it’s a struggle is because I don’t have it all together and I don’t keep all the rules. I don’t obey God perfectly like I want my children to. In my pride I want to prop myself up as a living example of what I desire them to be. Essentially I am communicating the message that they don’t need grace at all. Instead of my children learning and receiving the grace of God they are looking to this false example of someone who doesn’t need to receive grace because if they try hard enough they can have it all together too.

That isn’t giving them grace. That is giving them law rather than grace. That is giving them a lie and a false hope in something they will never be able to attain to. This confuses and frustrates them because they feel the disconnect between what they know to be true in their own heart (dad fails) and what they see is their dad's goal (someone who never blows it and when he does he acts as though he is right anyway).

One very real way you can give your kids grace is to be an example of a recipient of grace. Show them that you need to rely on grace because you actually sin too. You don’t need to hide it. You don’t need to justify it. You need to confess it to them and repent of it because God gives grace. Show them that you need the Savior. Stop pretending that you are the best example of Him and that you don’t really need what He accomplished on the cross. Lead your kids by the example you live as one who is being changed by the gospel of grace. Give them grace by demonstrating your own need for it. Free them from the bonds of thinking that the parents are good and the kids are bad. Remind them that you are partners in grace, both needing the forgiveness the Savior offers.  

I’m thankful for Elyse and Jessica for addressing this important topic which wages war against everything we naturally tend to give our kids. May grace win in our hearts and in the hearts of our kids for God’s glory.

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’”.

James 4:6

Here is a post from a single man that lives in Ireland, it's his thoughts on Give Them  Grace.
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I'm not really sure what to write, so I am just gonna be honest and to the point!
 
I'm going to ask 1. why did I choose to read it as a 22 year old single male? 2. why am i glad I read it now?
 
I chose to read it because I heard online different people speaking about it, how it was so effective at putting the gospel accross. Even though parenting is not directly relevent to me, because the gospel is the same in any scenario, I thought this book would deepen my understanding as it took on a different angle of approaching the gospel, or of applying it, and I wasnt let down.
 
Not surprisingly, grace is what I really got out of this book. My grasp of grace deepened, I grew a new fidelity for it, I really started to see that grace is the gospel!! I became aware of so much legalism in my life and attitudes, of how I approach people and ministry, and God!! Honestly, the fact it is a parenting book really doesnt get in the way of someone like myself growing, if anything it helped. The language and argument was simple, yet it shed light on some complicated issues like the relationship of law and grace. An important aspect of the book for me was that it was speaking at heart level, whether that was the kids hearts, or the parents hearts...both applied to me! Whether it was wanting to get my hands on my toys or wanting my plan to work out, grace was applied to all these sort of scenarios and i could relate to them all!
 
The book also helped me in terms of ministry. It made me aware of where I may be legalistic in my approach to ministry, and also in how I talk about the gospel with young people. Sometimes I do turn God in to something I earn as i do a good job. So I am grateful for that lesson, and hopefully my ministry and influence will point to Jesus and his cross instead of my effort and good works.
 
To sum up then, I am glad I read it. It helped me with my relationship to God, giving me freedom from guilt and pride that I sometimes can have. It was a good lesson for my ministry with others. I would recommend it to anyone parent or not, who wants to learn some of the implications of grace in their life as a disciple!

Here is another guest post from a father affected by grace. His name is Brian Thorton and you can find his blog Voice of the Sheep here. 

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Why is it that we Christians want our heavenly Father to govern us by grace, but we have no problem parenting our own children according to law? Why do we embrace God’s merciful love for us as sinners, and yet we dutifully exact justice at every turn with our kids? We proclaim left and right that there is nothing one can do as a Christian to earn God’s favor, and then we turn around with our own children and exhibit displeasure when they disobey and pleasure when they perform. We are saying one thing with our mouth, but teaching something completely different with our parenting actions. We are sending our children the wrong message. We are telling them they will be accepted by us if they can successfully do the list we give them to do. I confess, I am guilty of doing just that very thing. I have always, as a Christian, acknowledged that I am a child of God and am accepted by Him only by His grace found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I know I find favor with God only because of what Jesus has done for me, and nothing at all because of what I have done. Yet, when it comes to raising my four wonderful children (and even when I deal with my wife), I somehow transform into an unforgiving judge and jury who seems to know nothing of grace and mercy but who knows everything of dealing out the consequences of disobedience and failure to live up to a certain standard. God is dealing with me according to His grace, but I am dealing with my family according to law. Something’s wrong with this picture. Enter Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book, Give Them Grace.

This book is completely transforming how I look at my role as a father and husband. This book is further equipping me to apply the gospel to every area of my life, namely in the way I raise my children. This book is revealing to me areas in which I do not yet fully understand the gospel. This book is teaching me what it means to parent by grace, and that every situation with my kids is an opportunity to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus Christ to them. When something happens and one of my children sins and falls short of the glory of God, the law-man in me wants to do nothing more than point out the child’s failure and threaten punishment. The gospel, though, informs me that I have been shown much undeserved grace, and therefore I should put that grace in my life on display to my family in the way I deal with them. In the end, I don’t want them obeying me because they think that will earn my favor. No, I want them obeying me because they know they already have my favor. That’s the gospel getting into my parenting, for the good of my children, and for the glory of God. Thank you, Elyse. God has used you powerfully with this book to show us what it means to give our children grace.

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We have heard from a few dads that they would love to see how the content of our book works out in a decidedly male fashion. So we have asked a few dads that have read the book to share some stories with us. Our first guest blogger is Nate Palmer he is the author of Servanthood As Worship and has written for Modern Reformation and Reformed Perspective Magazines. You can find his blog here and purcahse his outstanding book here. We hope you enjoy this beautiful picture of grace.

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Most book reviews start off with some facts about the book followed by some of the reviewer’s reaction and opinion. Instead of following normal protocol, I am going to share how a book impacted my life in a practical way.

For the most part, bedtime with three small children is always a challenge. No matter how fun we make bedtime be, nor how many stories I regale them with, it is inevitable that at least one kid isn’t quite ready to go to sleep.  Often it is merely hug or a glass of water that placates them, but every once and awhile bedtime turns into a full on battle of the wills.

A few weeks back, one night was just such a case.  Our two-year-old son Owen – who normally never creates a bedtime stink – just would not go to bed. No story, no hug, no gentle threat, no comforting prayer could persuade him.  Every time we put him upstairs in his bedroom he’d escape his room and then come downstairs – all while wailing at the top of his lungs. Since he had never done this before, the first few times I gently placed him back in his bed. Determined to stay up, he kept trying to come down stairs. I was quickly becoming annoyed and tired of dealing with this, so I warned him that he would be disciplined if he kept it up. My warnings did nothing to dissaude him, so I started to deliver on my promises. After each discipline, I would put him back into his bed with a kiss and pray for him. I would then sit outside his room waiting for him to come out again. He kept coming – each time screaming and yelling in violent protest.

I was so unbelievably frustrated at the law’s inability to change my son. I was feeling so powerless to impose my will on such a little child. I wanted to scream and cry at the same time.  Finally at 3am while waiting outside his room listening as he tries – yet again – to angrily open his door, the thought finally occurred to me “this isn’t working, I need something else”. I was so upset and irritated – ready to lose my temper – when God brought to mind some lessons in grace from a new book I am reading called Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson. This mother-daughter team is helping parents give their kids not just the law of God but also to show his grace to them as well. It is a powerful book.

Recalling what I learned from reading Give Them Grace, I asked myself “what would show Owen God’s grace; either to spank him again or somehow help him go to sleep?”The book helped me realize that given how God has extended such grace to me (in spite of my many failures and complaints), that how can I as a parent never extend the same grace to my kids. My kids were only experiencing God’s law through my parenting.  I felt like a hypocrite for being quick to punish and so negligent with grace.  Owen did not need more law and punishment from me, he needed the same grace God has shown me throughout my life.

With a renewed sense of God’s grace, I loaded my son in the car and drove him around the neighborhood.  As we passed through the dark and quiet streets with my son still screaming in the back, I felt an amazing peace and joy. He was still fighting and yelling, but God had given me grace to see what my son really needed. Soon Owen’s sobs turned to whimpers and his protests turned to whispers. It was somewhere between our 9^th and 10^th loop around the block that heard him yawn and say “I love you daddy”. I looked back to return the sentiment but he had finally fallen asleep. As I saw  the first rays of the new day, I told him it anyways.

No amount of stars can be given to book that can produce such a moment between a father and son.

My son still needs to know about God’s law as well as understand actions have consequences. More importantly, however, he needs to tangibly grasp God’s love and grace even more so. Thanks to Give Them Grace  I can teach Owen both.

We moved recently and as we turned my boys bunk beds around I found the verses that I had printed out and taped to their bed when they were 4 and 2. I was shocked, amused and horrified to read these verses in light of the grace that I am beginning to understand. Here was the law-driven diet I was feeding their little souls:

 

Proverbs 14:7, 11:29, 16:32, 19:11, 2 Timothy 2:21-23 (see above picture)

My answer to their constant fighting? Stop! Stop fighting! Don't you know the Bible says people who fight are foolish, and weak, and not of the Lord! I put these verses on their beds in the hope that the law would accomplish heart change. I believed the law would work and change my boys into sweet kids who were always kind and never fought. I was demanding of my children and ended up being the one who acted foolishly. I was demanding of my children what they did not have the power the do, and I was demanding that law produce the change I wanted to see.

 

Was it wrong to have these verses on my children’s beds? No, the Bible is beautiful, it's wisdom; it is all we need for life. My manipulation of these verses was what was wrong. I wasn't seeing the real truth in these verses. I was not seeing the gospel of glorious grace. Instead I could have shared with my child that there is only One who is slow to anger. One who was slow to anger even though we rush foolishly, headlong into wrath. There is only One who continues to be slow to anger, even though I believe my anger will achieve all I want in life, (peace, quiet, children who never quarrel). I could have told them that there was only One who ever ruled His Spirit. He ruled his spirit in the Garden of Gethsemane, He ruled the anguish he felt, the anger that must have tempted him when he found his friends sleeping. There is only One who truly had good sense and overlooked offense. The gospel is right here in these very Proverbs I attempted to use to make my kids "good." The truth that He has overlooked my offenses, and that makes me want to glorify Him.  When I share these truths with my children, I see the beauty of grace and I am changed. When I understand the gospel, I am no longer ruled by anger when I see them disobey, and I can share this liberating grace with them. We are both foolish, we are both weak, we both believe our anger will accomplish what we deem as righteous or good, but the truth is if we are in Him, even in our anger He overlooks our offenses. Even in our forgetting that we are "servants of the Lord" we counted as One who is never quarrelsome.

 

Amazing grace! How can it be? That you my King wouldst die for me!

 

Join me today as we pray for grace to share the truth of God's one way love with ourselves, and with our children.

Here is another funny picture from a friend that also thought law was the way to make your children good. Enjoy! The verse she is holding is below, just in case you can't see it. You can most definitely see the joy inexpressible on her face.

I John 2:3 "Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep His commandments." 

I was reminded this morning of the economy in which the Lord has chosen to work: "In Christ's kingdom, the last shall be first, life is saved by losing it, and weakness confounds strength. In the greatest paradox of all, bitter affliction may allow the power of Christ to rest upon us" (Nathan Hatch). The grand display of God's economy is seen most powerfully in a Savior who was crucified. I think there is much to be encouraged by, as parents, in this economy!

The Lord LOVES it when His children are utterly and completely dependent upon Him- He would have it no other way! The glorious riches of His grace shine most brightly through our need and as a result, as Piper says, we get the help and He gets the glory. Isn't it incredible that both are important to Him- our help and His glory? The grace and glory of parenting is that at its simplest it is one of our greatest "thorns," revealing our greatest needs. What we call trouble and difficulty and heart-break, though parenting is all those things, the Lord calls right and good and designed and perfect- His plan for His glory. Parents can certainly empathize with Paul:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Can't you relate? Isn't parenting a thorn?! My word, it most certainly is! I know I've pleaded with God to come quickly, time and time again, and resolve matters in my own life and in the lives of my children; to remove me from this stretched place. Yet He tells me EVERY time, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weak parenting. Therefore, boast all the more gladly that you haven't figured it out and that you struggle daily to know your right from your left, the law from the Gospel, for it is there the power of God will most grandly rest. And in response to that truth we ask God for contentment through these parenting years, which do indeed include much weakness, insult and hardship. FOR WHEN WE ARE WEAK, WE ARE STRONG! Hallelujah!

I say all this to simply encourage you- you are right where the Lord wants you to be as parents= DEPENDENT...dependent upon His Spirit to daily grant wisdom and discernment in all the practical stuff; dependent upon His Spirit to daily give you the faith and hope you lack; dependent upon the Spirit to daily enable you to preach the Gospel to yourself as well as to your children. Actually, where you are today, wherever that is, you are perfectly situated to revel in your true identity as DEPENDENT!

We were never made to be independent of Him, to any measure or degree; rather we were designed from before time to ALWAYS be dependent children upon our Father. So we run toward the things which remind us of our dependency (parenting weakness!), rather than stiff-arm them, and gladly boast of our weakness because the power of God is found there. This passage makes weakness sound awfully good! So I say, let's gladly boast of the Lord working through us as dependent parents, who bring more weakness to the table than strength. Search for wisdom on how to "do parenting," indeed! But always with the view that we wait for one thing and one thing only- we wait for the hope of righteousness that only God will provide: "For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness." Galatians 5:5

Faith is not believing God will give you what you need to live independently, but resting in knowing you will always be dependent on him. -Paul Tripp

I want to get to the point in my life and circumstances where I am mature enough and gifted enough and skilled enough to no longer be desperately dependent on God. HA! I want to preach the Gospel but not live by the Gospel. -Mark Lauterbach

Grace doesn't work to free you from the need for grace, but to make you more thankful for and dependent on the grace you'll always need. -Paul Tripp

God designs the circumstances of parenting to reveal to us our deficiencies, our emptiness, our neediness — so that the work that is done is clearly a work of God, and to remind us of our weakness again and again, and therefore displaying His sufficiency again and again. Isn't it shocking that power is most seen, not in healings, not in triumphant living, but in weakness and limitations and being in over our heads? The reason for this is simple: the treasure of the Gospel is located in earthen vessels (clay pots, brown paper bags) so it is clear to all that the pot is just a pot and the treasure is the treasure.  God designed (parenting) to display his great power and glory. His ability to use such weak and broken vessels for his purposes of grace is remarkable. The skill of the workman is seen in what he can do with such limited tools. -Mark Lauterbach (paraphrase)

So as parents, let's boast all the more gladly of our weakness and desire to say with Paul, I am content with weaknesses. Let us move toward one another while weak; trumpeting the truth that His power is being perfected in this very place. Might we encourage one another to embrace this mind-boggling economy, reminding one another that when we are weak, we are strong- most importantly, when we are weak, HE is strong!

-Tambra Murphy