Grace + Truth (Part 1)

Originally posted April 19. 2012

Sunday we heard Andy Stanley “preach” on Grace and Truth. (I put preach in quotations b/c it’s hard for me to describe his messages as preaching. His spiritual gift is definitely interpretation. He can bring the Word to life like few I hear these days…)

Anyway, then Sunday night our church started a series called “Grace-based Parenting”. Hummm is someone trying to tell me something?

Being a fairly seasoned parent – 27 years and counting – I’ve been it all. I’ve been a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, a working/stay-at-home mom, a married parent, a single parent, a custodial parent, a non-custodial parent, step-parent and now a grandparent… I have a daughter and 3 sons. Right now I have 2 on their own, 2 teens full-time and 2 teens part-time… (pray for us!)

I fail every day at Grace-based parenting.

And every day I receive Grace.

That’s what I love about Grace. God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Receiving what we don't deserve... So it’s in failing that we receive it. You can’t receive Grace without failing b/c if we were perfect we wouldn't NEED Grace.

And I’m very good at failing. Very Good.

My mantra (one of them) is “If I fail, it will not be for lack of trying.” I might should change it to “WHEN I fail, it will not be for lack of trying not to fail.” (I know those negatives are a problem but you get it.)

So Andy said – Grace and Truth are the ultimate tension of Christianity and we can’t separate them without losing something. The rub is - which trumps? The law and truth or grace and love? The "Thou shalt not" or the "Go in peace"? Jesus Christ is the embodiment of both. That’s what the Bible says – not just Andy.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

FULL of Grace AND Truth.

Says it right there. Together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Abbott and Costello. Mom and Dad...

So what about Grace-based Parenting? Can we separate grace parenting from truth parenting?? I’m thinking not. That's when things get really messy and we definitely lose something. If I can’t separate my Savior from Grace and Truth and I can’t separate me from Grace and Truth, how can I separate my parenting – or ANYTHING I do – from Grace AND Truth?

So that’s it… I AM a parent of Grace and Truth.

Well, I WANT to be a parent of Grace and Truth.

I want to be a BETTER parent of Grace and Truth.

(to be continued)