What do you do when they fail?

I’m not talking about willful disobedience. I’m talking about a bad decision. A wrong turn. A teachable moment.

What look do they see on your face when their eyes meet yours?

Are they scared to make a mistake around you?

Disapproval is loudly communicated, even without words; and the sharpness of your frustration can be a crushing weight to a child.

Are you reacting out of the the flesh, or responding from the Holy Spirit?

Yes, correct.
Yes, train.

But we keep the hearts of our children when we remember their deep need for grace and love.

As parents, we need the Spirit of God to instruct us as we go. To discern the hearts of our children. To know how much pressure to apply in the bending of their will, without causing it to snap back or break in our hands.

As we attempt to direct our children to paths of righteousness, we need to steer clear of shaming or scolding, knowing the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness that God desires (James 1:20).

The best thing we can do as parents is keep an eternal perspective. What REALLY matters in light of eternity? The mess on the floor, or the way you responded to it?

We need to humbly remember we too are learning as we go, and it’s God’s gentleness that has made us great (Psalm 18:35).

These teachable moments, when we are tempted to feel inconvenienced and annoyed, can be a great tool in the hands of our loving Father to burn away what remains of our former conduct and old man.

“Hey, it’s okay. I make mistakes too. Let me help you clean it up.”

“It’s okay. What do you think you can learn from this? What can we do different next time”