teaching and leading

"Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant."
-Epictetus

I don't remember where I read this, but it struck me hard. Parenting is such a challenge, and it is so easy to get caught up in the laundry, dishes, tantrums, and endless other things and lose sight of the big picture. How can my son follow his Heavenly Father if he can't listen to his earlthy parents, the ones who are right there, physically with him. How can he learn compasion if I don't demonstrate it. How can he learn Grace if I don't teach him about the grace I have been given. How can he learn forgivness if I don't forgive.

As a sinful person I model bad choices everyday. The words I say, the way I react, everything, my son sees it. And I'm teaching him through it. The way I spend my money, the way I get more excited about finding a great deal on sleepers but don't get really excited about what I just read in my bible.

Parenting is hard. It has really helped me to learn more about God and how he must feel every time I screw up. Abba - Daddy He's my father and I fail to listen, fail to obey, fail to love.

I'm starting to read Grace Based Parenting. I'm really excited to be challenged in my faith and in the way I think about disipline. I'll try to blog the interesting points.