Encourage Your Neighbor

As a parent/adult you must understand that children are human just like you are and they have feelings. They have bad days just like you do. You may have not had the guidance as a child as to how to process your feelings (if you struggle in that area don’t be ashamed to grow and learn as an adult!) but PARENTS: understand that, YES, it is sometimes necessary to apologize to your children. It doesn’t make you weak or take away your authority. 

Lets say that you have told your 8 year old, more times than you can count, to put his dirty clothes in the hamper and not leave them on the bathroom floor. You have been patient time and time again and have been giving gentle reminders but this time is enough. You go on a rant, yell, and tell him to go to his room and not come out until you tell him to. 

Allowing your children to see those raw emotions may be enough for them to make better choices but you must ask yourself if you insulted them or crossed the line while responding before you attempt to apologize. Over-apologizing can be damaging and create a bad habit but when done at necessary times, it lets your child know that adults are not perfect and can strengthen your relationship with your child.

No parent is perfect. No child is perfect. And neither of the two come with instructions.

Going to church every Sunday makes you a Christian just as much as standing in a garage makes you a car. From what I understand, Christianity is not about who can quote the most scriptures but rather about who chooses to live by them. Knowing who God is, isn't enough. Even Satan knows who He is. 

As a child who grew up in a small church and majority of the time sat with the adults while the preacher preached. There was a lot that I didn't understand and I believe that I was taught religion above all else. At least that is what I perceived it as. I thought that if I got a tattoo, I'd go to hell. I thought that, as a girl or woman, it was a sin to wear pants to church. I thought that one sin was greater than another.

Unfortunately I thought that you had to be perfect to be loved by God and that good deeds are what made you worthy of His love and attention. I believe that this mindset is what keeps a lot of people out of church. The burden of guilt and shame is a heavy burden to carry. People need to know, above all else, that God's love is unconditional. You are never too far gone. He forgives. His love endures forever. It's available for all who choose to seek him.

It wasn't until I became an adult when I realized that Christianity is more than a system of religious beliefs. It's a personal relationship with God. It's time spent in The Word, learning, obeying, abiding in Him. It's prayer without ceasing. It's worship. It's surrendering your life to Him. It's feeding your Spirit and starving your flesh. I think that sometimes we allow the act of good deeds to determine our salvation. We think that if we do enough "good" then we are right with God. The truth is, there is no amount of good deeds that will save us. We are saved by grace through faith in Him.