Grace for the Children

"I love little children and it is no slight thing when they, who are fresh 

from God, love us" - Charles Dickens

When it comes to finding and appreciating treasure we won't find any greater than our children and grandchildren. Still, in the midst of life's stresses and challenges we don't always take time to convey that appreciation to them.

Do our children know how important they are to us and to God?  

When the disciples tried to stop people from bringing their kids to Jesus, He was greatly displeased and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14).   

Jesus came to us full of grace and truth. Qualities He wants us to learn from Him and generously share with the children in our lives. Grace toward a child includes the same priorities mentioned in my last post: 

Keep mindful of how much God loves them; treat them with great 

respect; be affectionate and content to take walks, read books and bake cookies with them. Most importantly, may we craft our words to help build them into strong and caring men and women.  

Remember what it was like going to school all those years and trying to 

come out of it with a likeable self-image? We needed all the help we could get and children today do all the more.

If like me, you're blessed with grandchildren, you have the opportunity 
to tell them about God, the author of life, Creator of heaven and earth. 
And while we're sharing God's creation with our kids, hopefully we can 
help them learn that Jesus truly is their best friend. The ultimate 
expression of grace.   

The Gift of Grace

Valentine's Day, the day card companies and florists delight in. I told 

my husband if he had any thoughts of buying me flowers, I'd rather 

have a bouquet of apples. The beauty of an apple equals the rose and 

it's delicious too. 

People buy chocolate, roses, cards, and diamonds as they strive to 

express love. But department stores don't sell one of the most 
important gifts we can give each other - Grace, one of those abstract 
Bible terms. We appreciate God offering it to us but how exactly do we share it with others? That's the question I'll spend my next few 
posts trying to answer. 

Jesus came full of grace and truth (John 1:14). We came needing grace 

and truth. A match made in heaven. Our relationships on earth excel by 

His grace too, when we remember to show it. The following acronym 

reminds us to share His grace on Valentine's Day and every day.

G- Gospel  

When I get upset or impatient with my husband I remind myself that 

Jesus died on the cross for him. This helps soften my heart toward 
someone so precious to God.

R- Respect  

Scripture tells us to respect our husbands (Eph. 5:33). We're okay with 

that as long as we think they deserve it. But God gives His grace freely 

and wants us to do the same.                                                   

A- Affection 

This one can be the hardest. If my husband offers a few too many constructive criticisms, hugging him isn't my first reaction. Romans 

12:10 reminds me to keep trying because kindness dispels resentment.

C- Contentment  

Contentment grows more from giving thanks for what we have than 
getting everything we want. A content and grateful heart enables us 
to show grace to the people we love.  

E- Edify  

God gave us the gift of speech to build others up not tear them down. 

We have the opportunity to speak words that strengthen and 

encourage our spouses. Yet because we talk everyday, all day, it's 

easy to forget to season our words with grace (Colossians 4:6).        

Next week we'll look at sharing grace with the children in our lives.                                    

                            

                            

                   

     

The Tale of Two Rooms

Why do we settle for so much less when God offers so much more? The 
Lord showed me a vivid example of this on an out-of-town job with my husband. 

After dinner we pulled into a motel that looked okay and affordable. 
I was disappointed their rooms didn't have coffee pots. I like a cup in the morning without having to shower, dress and go out the door to find 
one. I conceded knowing I could pick a different motel for next night. 
Once in our room we began to notice other missing amenities. 

     "It's rock hard and close to the floor," Ray said, stretching out on 
the bed. "Is there even a mattress?" 

We lifted the covers and saw a box spring and mattress, but had to 
see it to believe it. Touching the nylon/polyester bedspread sent me 
searching for hand lotion. Other things bothered me too.       

• very few plug-ins 
• lamps without light bulbs
• stiff "facial" tissue better for shoes than noses
• small shower, no bathtub 
• continental breakfast: a small muffin wrapped in cellophane with undisclosed contents and country of origin.  

As I stood beside the bed that night, the floor began to shake. I 
suspected an earthquake until I heard a train whistle blare. 

     "The tracks must be directly behind the motel," Ray said.

     "I hope one doesn't come through while we're sleeping," I cringed. 

    

Strange place, hard bed, made it hard to sleep but we were tired and drifted off close to midnight. 3:30 a.m. another train roared past, rattling the walls and jarring us awake. How can they stay in business if no one ever comes back? I wondered. Or maybe people stayed there because they didn't know what they were missing. We didn't.  

The next day after work, we found a motel surrounded by redwood pine, manicured lawn and a landscaped water fall. Every detail spoke high 
quality so I braced myself for a higher price. But a small discount made 
it $1.00 less than we paid the night before. 

Stepping in the spacious room, I saw many above and beyond amenities like the company really cared about the comfort of their guests. 

• coffee maker with real paper cups, not Styrofoam
• cotton quilt with matching pillow shames
• towels in a drawer
• nightlight (automatic)    
• bathtub/shower
• microwave/fridge  
• good lighting
• desk, comfy office chair, and a plug-in for my laptop
• continental breakfast in the dining room with plenty of choices- waffles, french toast, boiled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, bagels, fruit, coffee and real orange juice.

That's the short list. 

Impressive attention to detail and quality. When we checked out, the 
desk clerk handed me two wrapped mints. Not hard ones but butter 
mints, the kind served at weddings. 

Six months later that experience still reminds me of a valuable truth.

We can miss so much of God's goodness 

simply by settling for so much less. 

We worry and stress over finances and family and miss the soul rest God offers (Matt. 11:29).  

We doubt our gifts from Him and miss the path He designed specifically 
for us (Eph. 2:10). 

With attention to detail and quality God offers us amazing amenities so 
we don't have to settle for anything less (Psalm 31:19).

• Priceless peace with God and the people closest to us.  
• Blessings we take for granted like water, homes, and shoes. 
• Treasures like a grateful heart for all He has given. 
• Keepsakes like walking with a child and enjoying God's Creation together. 
• Gifts of courage to pursue the path He designed for us.   
• Jewels like knowing He holds all things together, we don't.  
• Wonders like His unchanging love.

And that's definitely the short list.