There are seven things good parents will prioritize teaching their children. These seven truths come from The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 and are the spiritual foundation for successful children.
5. God forgives me and I need to forgive others.
Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” NKJV
5. God forgives me and I need to forgive others.
Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” NKJV
You need to remind your kids over and over that they should forgive others of their sin because God has forgiven them of theirs. If your kids don’t learn how to ask for forgiveness and extend forgiveness, they will suffer from two things:
1. Guilt
If you don’t teach your kids to receive God’s forgiveness, they will carry around a load of guilt. After they get in trouble, are disciplined and apologize to you, don’t forget to lead them in a prayer where they apologize to God. Ultimately, their not honoring you is disobedience to God who says in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother...” If you discipline them and have them apologize only to you, their little conscience will still bother them. They need to get right with God, not only with you.
So - if they don’t learn to receive God’s forgiveness they will carry around a load of guilt. But on the other hand, if they don’t learn to extend forgiveness to others, they will carry around...
2. Resentment
If you don’t teach your kids to forgive, then unforgiveness will eat away at them. You may have heard it said that “Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” And that’s true! You don’t want your kids living with resentment towards others for the ways in which they’ve been offended. Forgiveness is the key to ensure this doesn’t happen.
If you’re finding that your kids never want to apologize to each other or to someone else they may have offended, ask yourself this: Am I modeling asking for forgiveness? Kristin and I are far from being perfect parents, but I will say this - our kids have no problem apologizing to each other or to others. Just the other day Lincoln was annoying one of my neighbor’s kids to the point she went inside. When Kristin learned about it she talked with Lincoln and he realized he needed to apologize - and he didn't walk over our neighbor's house kicking and screaming. Why? Because Kristin and I often admit we were wrong and ask our kids for forgiveness. When I get short with Kristin, thereby setting a bad example for the kids - once I’ve apologized to both Kristin and God, I go apologize to the kids too. I tell them: I’m sorry for being nasty to mommy. That doesn’t make Jesus happy. I’ve said sorry to him and to mommy and I need to say sorry to you too. The Bible says we’re to love each other, and daddy wasn’t being very loving. I’m sorry.
Your kids will have trouble admitting fault and saying sorry if you do. So make sure your kids often hear you say “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.” Model it for them so they know how to do it themselves, because you don’t want them living with guilt or resentment.
1. Guilt
If you don’t teach your kids to receive God’s forgiveness, they will carry around a load of guilt. After they get in trouble, are disciplined and apologize to you, don’t forget to lead them in a prayer where they apologize to God. Ultimately, their not honoring you is disobedience to God who says in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother...” If you discipline them and have them apologize only to you, their little conscience will still bother them. They need to get right with God, not only with you.
So - if they don’t learn to receive God’s forgiveness they will carry around a load of guilt. But on the other hand, if they don’t learn to extend forgiveness to others, they will carry around...
2. Resentment
If you don’t teach your kids to forgive, then unforgiveness will eat away at them. You may have heard it said that “Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” And that’s true! You don’t want your kids living with resentment towards others for the ways in which they’ve been offended. Forgiveness is the key to ensure this doesn’t happen.
If you’re finding that your kids never want to apologize to each other or to someone else they may have offended, ask yourself this: Am I modeling asking for forgiveness? Kristin and I are far from being perfect parents, but I will say this - our kids have no problem apologizing to each other or to others. Just the other day Lincoln was annoying one of my neighbor’s kids to the point she went inside. When Kristin learned about it she talked with Lincoln and he realized he needed to apologize - and he didn't walk over our neighbor's house kicking and screaming. Why? Because Kristin and I often admit we were wrong and ask our kids for forgiveness. When I get short with Kristin, thereby setting a bad example for the kids - once I’ve apologized to both Kristin and God, I go apologize to the kids too. I tell them: I’m sorry for being nasty to mommy. That doesn’t make Jesus happy. I’ve said sorry to him and to mommy and I need to say sorry to you too. The Bible says we’re to love each other, and daddy wasn’t being very loving. I’m sorry.
Your kids will have trouble admitting fault and saying sorry if you do. So make sure your kids often hear you say “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.” Model it for them so they know how to do it themselves, because you don’t want them living with guilt or resentment.
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