Learning from the Grace of a Child

Have you ever had to apologize to your child? I wish it weren’t the case, but I certainly have had to. Parenting is not always the easiest and I don’t always make the right decisions. So, when I recognize a poor decision that I’ve made as a father, asking for forgiveness is not only good, it is the right and necessary thing to do.

Children are very gracious.

There is much that we can learn from children. Often when looking for someone to emulate, well-known leaders and great scholars come to mind. They have much life experience and success to absorb and put into practice in our own lives. This certainly is not completely inaccurate. However, in Matthew 18 when the disciples asked Jesus about greatness, he didn’t point them to the celebrities or speakers of their day. He pointed them to little children.

“Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4

There are many books that have been written on the idea of grace. These books can be easily found on the shelves in bookstores or on Amazon. But, for an immediate and real life lesson in grace, look no further than your own child. I cannot speak for every child, but when it comes to my own children, they are quick to forgive my transgressions against them. When I humble myself before them and apologize, they seem to be a deep well of forgiveness and grace.

Responding to their graciousness.

Receiving grace from a child and understanding how freely this grace was given is very moving. I am motivated by my children’s grace to become a better father… nay, a better person. I do not want to receive this grace and then abuse it to see how far their grace will truly extend. I want to take this grace and allow this grace to change how I parent them in the future. My desire is to not make the same mistakes that I previously made leading to my apology in the first place.

Contemplating God’s grace.

If a child has grace to give, our God has more. If a child has a deep well of forgiveness, our God’s well is deeper. While God’s grace is far greater than any human could fully express, we can still learn and apply truth from this exchange of grace between a child and parent.

It is too easy to look at the grace that God affords mankind through his son Jesus Christ, receive that grace, and then return to the very sin which caused the need for His grace in the first place. Unfortunately, that is what many do with God’s grace. But, is that really how we should respond? Is this God’s desire or even purpose in extending His grace to us? The Apostle Paul addresses this very issue in Romans 6.

“What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:1-2

To continue in sin is to forget the grace that has already been extended and received.

Can God’s grace multiply? Absolutely! Yet, God’s grace shouldn’t compel us to abound in sin that God might also abound in grace. The revelation and comprehension that we have received such a great and costly grace from such a loving Heavenly Father should motivate us, not to continue in sin, but to turn from it. If a child’s grace can motivate one to become a better parent or even a better person, how much more should the grace we receive from God motivate us to turn from sin, reject the attitudes and actions of our former selves and pursue holy living through Jesus Christ? We should be all the more motivated!

Contemplate God’s grace today. As undeserved as it might be, God extends it freely to those who humble themselves before Him. And as you contemplate this rich and full grace from a perfect Father, allow this grace to change your heart. Allow this grace to change you.

An encounter with God’s grace should always be a transforming one.