In This Home.

For those of you who know me well, you have probably figured out I like to write. It's an outlet of some sort. A way to express myself. I write when I am happy, sad, mad, overwhelmed, and just because! This week has been long. And filled with those moments, when I, the Mommy, had to seek forgiveness from her little ones. (Not many things can be more humbling than realizing you need to seek forgiveness from your children...)
As I was reflecting on the week, I remembered one evening,  a while back, as I was riding with my sister, she played a song for me. I know I reference music a lot but there are lots of times when lyrics teach lessons or simply allow you to praise. I appreciate music and lyrics of all kinds. This one taught me something. The song I heard was "That Home" by the Newsboys. It was a song describing his childhood and what his mother taught him, showed him and gave him during the years he was at home. I spend lots of time wondering what my children will remember, what they will cherish, what will they dislike, what we will teach them during their years at home with us. I have always always tried to focus on building faith, character, and grace (grace as you have probably discovered is a favorite of mine...look up that word and relish it's meaning. It's beautiful). I think it's the most important things to get us through this earthly life.
Back to the song...my favorite part of the song went like this...

"In that home

We knew we were safe

To be young enough to dream

Find the faith to believe

And in that home

Love, it had no end

It's where we learned to forgive

In that home

Momma always had the music on

Sometimes loud, sometimes soft

When I asked her 'bout her favorite song

She opened the bible to the book of Psalms

She always found a way to talk about grace"

At 29, I have learned a lot about relationships, and people. And forgiveness and grace...they are necessary. Grace as defined by Christians, is the unmerited love and forgiveness shown to us by God. I am learning that we should extend grace and forgiveness, to ourselves and to others, over and over again, because goodness knows it's been given to us, by our Heavenly Father every single day. People hurt us. We hurt people. People let us down. We let people down. I am learning that you can not make people love you. You can not make people be "good" or understand you...but despite people, we have God. He is always present. He never fails us. He never leaves us alone. He always forgives. Thank goodness He ALWAYS forgives.
So today, as I pondered, as I often do, what will I teach my children, how will I prepare them to fulfill their calling in this life, I am once again led right back to grace and faith. Teach them, in this home, we do grace. Show them grace. Help them show grace. Be grace. In a world that can be so ungraceful and so unfaithful. A world where it's all about me. All about my needs. My wants...Be grace. Show love. Be faithful. Have faith in the unseen. Rest assured that our God is good. And our God IS grace. And with God in us, we too can show this ungraceful world, Grace and faith. So, with God's provision, I will continue on, fulfilling my calling of raising them to fulfill theirs. :) I am such a bad example of grace most days. But it is my deepest hope that if I teach them nothing else, may they be forgiving, humble enough to seek forgiveness, graceful and ever faithful throughout this beautiful life. Life is good. God is good. God is grace. God is love.