Lessons Learned :: Romans

So I've been a bad blogger. Does it make up for things if I've, in turn, been a better mama? ha! I can't say that the absence of blogging has improved my parenting skills...but I do know that it's just had to take a back seat. Even though there are several posts I've been wanting to put down. Starting with this one. I was telling Tara the other day that I really feel like God has been re-teaching me some old truths as of late. Maybe re-teaching is the wrong word. Reminding might be a better choice. These aren't anything new to most of you. I'm sure we all deal with the same stuff, don't we? But like I was telling her, I want my kids to remember these things or at least read one day how the Lord brought them to light in my life.

So I hope to, over the next several days, share some of these things for my kids and whoever of you still reads my ramblings...welcome to Lessons Learned.

Over the last 3+ years of blogging, I've shared many of my own personal failures in parenting. I'm the first to admit, I blow it. Often. Jase and I don't always make the right decisions where our children are concerned and hopefully we don't come across like we've got it all figured out. We surely don't, y'all. But one thing we have committed to is teaching our children the Word of God ourselves as well as intentionally placing them in environments where they will be taught by others who follow Jesus. It's so important to us that our kids grow up to know the truth of who God is and have a high view of Him...all the while maintaining a low view of themselves.

I've blogged about something similar before here. But recently, Kennedy came into our bedroom to chat while Jase and I were just watching TV. I honestly can't remember how the conversation got around to Romans. But Kennedy was talking about her previous school {2nd and 3rd grade} and how each week in chapel for TWO YEARS they were taught from Romans 2 and 3. {Can you hear her saying TWO YEARS!?!} She still recounts how she thought they would never finish chapter 3! lol! But let me say, Kennedy learned more in those two years about herself and about God than ever before. While we were laying there on the bed, chatting with our oldest, she was actually complaining about how they shouldn't have been teaching young kids about the sinfulness of man. "We were just little kids! We hadn't even done anything really bad yet!" It was almost comical. But it turned into a beautiful time with her dad explaining to her how important it is for her to have a right view of herself and a high view of God. That she is sinful to her core. Depraved from birth. Inheriting a sin nature from Adam. Of course, we know that the Holy Spirit awakened her to the greatness of God and she repented of her sinfulness several years ago. But up till that point, she was dead in trespasses and sins. Unable to come to God. Unable to see herself as she really was. And more importantly, to see Him as he truly is.

It may seem strange to many of you. It may even sound like the wrong thing to do. Or seemingly be to the detriment of her self image. Again, as I've said before, none of that matters to us. What does matter is that our children will grow into adults who are more apt to see the beauty and glory of Christ, the savior of the world, if...and only if, they see the smallness of themselves.

We have a long way to go. Kennedy isn't ready to go out into this big world and stand on her own two feet in her faith. She's in training! We all are until He calls us home. And this conversation was a reminder to us that even as Christians, our natural inclination is to raise ourselves higher and not take sin so seriously. That will always be to our detriment. For today :: Lesson Learned.