“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Psalm 103:10-11  

 Recently, my family and I were at Cracker Barrel, a restaurant that I love, and we were talking  about some old memories from years gone by. Some pictures had come up on my Facebook page from when my kids were little. This caused us to talk about old times, and in the  conversation, my sons started telling us some funny stories, which involved some of the rules  that I had when they were little. And looking back, fifteen-plus years later, I can laugh and say I  did have some funny rules for my kids, especially my oldest. 

 Were you like me when you first became a parent? You know, you are trying to find out what  works and what does not while trying to do what is right. And you practice on the first child.  You are extremely strict, and you have a lot of fear about whether you can raise this little  human being, who is now your child, the right way.  

 And that is what I was thinking to myself the morning after as I was remembering the funny  stories we had laughed about during dinner. I really did not want my children to turn out  wrong, so I parented with quite a bit of fear. I admit that there were times I might have gone  overboard. I put quite a few silly and not really Biblical rules on my kids, especially on my oldest  when he was little. I just did not want him to turn out wrong. I just wanted him to be courteous, to be a gentleman, and to grow up to be a man. I still want those things for all my sons. But  with age and experience comes a little wisdom that you cannot get automatically as a young  first-time parent. After a few years, you will start to notice what works and what does not for your children. 

 And I just want to say this to you ladies: we are not going to be perfect. We are not going to  be perfect in anything. We are not going to be perfect in child rearing, in marriage, or our  relationships with our friends. We are not going to be perfect in our Christian walk, and we are going to change throughout the years as we gain experience and grow closer to the Lord. We  will learn new things and meet new people that can help us. And God is a loving Father who is  very patient with us. If we keep our relationships strong through love and prayer, when we slip  up, our mistakes can be more easily forgiven and fixed. We might hurt people without meaning  to. We might have had the best of intentions in mind. But if we keep our relationships with  them strong, whether it is our kids or friends, they will more easily forgive us. We would not have burned our bridges permanently.  

 So, as you are experimenting with parenting, maneuvering through life, and doing the  absolute best you can, be kind to yourself. Do not forget that God forgives, and if you lack  guidance, He is always there for you with all the answers you need. And keep loving, because if  we walk in love as Jesus told us was our purpose here on Earth, it will solve a multitude of 

problems that we might create just by being human. So, let's keep walking in love, loving God  through loving others.  

Questions: 

1. Are there any mistakes I have made in life that are still weighing me down? 2. What is my source for how to live life, how to parent my child, etc.? 3. Do I treat myself with the same grace and forgiveness that I would give to others?