If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
Today was a successfully challenging day at school. We homeschool and that can lead to short fuses when it comes to “mom” making a student do something they don’t necessarily want to instead of “teacher”. The safety of home allows for creativity and willingness to express opinions without ridicule, but on the flip side there can be the occasional slip of being mouthy that my boys wouldn’t do in a classroom outside the home.
The good thing about homeschooling is that the whole family sees and celebrates successes as a team. The bad thing is the whole family sees and is affected by poor attitude. The negative isn’t something that happens daily, but it certainly needs to be expected and addressed.
When a mistake is made within the family, we apologize. This is important to us as much as forgiving is. When my son said he was sorry for being disrespectful and having a bad attitude, the problem was taken care of in my mind…time to move forward. A short time later I wanted to cry hearing the worry as he looks at me and says, “Do you forgive me?” I had already forgiven him, but he needed reassured. When I heard the uncertainty and sincerity in his voice, I could have scooped him up and showered him with hugs and kisses to make him feel all was better. As a growing boy I knew that wouldn’t be appreciated! I did the next best thing…I tried to help him understand that it was over and that he doesn’t need to worry about it. We just learn from our mistakes and try harder next time.
It was such a successful day because it opened my eyes to something…something important…something big. I’m that child who seeks reassurance that I’ve been forgiven. As a parent, the Lord is feeling the pain when I don’t realize He forgave me the first time I asked. I might see it as a matter of not deserving forgiveness, but I might as well say, “I can forgive my children easily, but God can’t!” What!? That is horrible, yet it is exactly what happens. I don’t think I’m alone in this either. I believe we hurt Him when we have to ask over and over just like we hurt when our children are carrying around that heavy burden of guilt.
I challenge you not to carry around guilt for something that has been forgiven. Learn from your mistakes and do better next time.
