You need to understand something about parenting that will take the pressure off.
You’re not responsible for creating perfect children. You get to partner with God to help your children discover who He’s already created them to be.
Our heavenly Father doesn’t look at your parenting mistakes in disappointment. He always looks deeper, He sees our intention, not our performance. He sees a parent who loves their children deeply and wants to learn His ways of nurturing, guiding, and rejoicing in the unique design He’s placed in each child.
He doesn’t expect you to have all the answers or never make mistakes. He invites you to partner with Him in learning how to parent from love instead of fear, from rest instead of anxiety, from His wisdom instead of earthly wisdom, from restricted freedom instead of control.
Many parents see their children as reflections of themselves. When they make a mistake, they feel they have made a mistake. They Try to live their lives through their children. Our children may have a different destiny than we do.
We do not try and make our children in our own image. They’re individuals with their own relationship with God, their own calling, their own journey of discovering God’s heart for them. Your role is to create space for them to encounter His love and learn His character.
When you parent in partnership with God, your home becomes a place where everyone – including yourself – get to experience His grace, His patience, His delight, and His unconditional love.
Before responding to your child’s behavior, pause and ask God, “How do You see this child right this moment? Who do you want to become to them? What do You want them to experience of Your heart through my response to them? How can I represent Your love in this moment?”
You’re not parenting alone – you’re learning God’s ways of nurturing in partnership with the perfect Father.