Living in Grace and Faith

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

Long ago, I used to struggle with blame. Whose fault was it that something had been done or not done? Whose responsibility was it? Keeping track of everything was exhausting, and left me feeling bitter and very unhappy. These days, I’m so glad to say, my home is run far more on grace. If something needs to be done, I either do it or ask for help with it. If something gets done, I am blessed and grateful for it. It feels so much better.

The other thing I struggled with was worry. That’s something that will eat you alive! Especially with kids. There is no end of things to worry about. I would worry all day and all night. Do you know what the cure for worry is? Faith. I had to start handing all my worries over to God and trusting Him that He was able to handle them and He knew best. I had to recognize that I wasn’t in charge of it all, that I couldn’t possibly manage the things I was worried about anyways. I had to let go. My counselor taught me an excellent tool. I used to spend a lot of time spiraling over thoughts of “What if?” What if my child is in a car accident? What if my husband doesn’t make it home from work? I would spend fruitless time planning out futures that never happened. She taught me to turn that what if into an “Even if.” Even if my child is in a car accident, God is still in control. Even if my husband doesn’t make it home from work, God will still take care of us. By turning my worries into faith, God has drawn me closer to Him and helped me to be healthier and stronger.

Here’s the Thing: These days, my home is a lot nicer place to live in. I’m sorry to my kids for the way it used to be. The fact is, I was growing up too! That’s the trouble with parenting, we’re not perfect and we’re learning as we go. Hopefully they can see the changes and their homes will benefit from the learning I’ve done as well.