As women, the very idea of leading our daughters in grace is sometimes overwhelming. The radical reality is that we don’t always know how to do it, because we are still learning the process ourselves. Living, loving, and learning life together with my girls has taught me to seek Him deeper, pray harder, and embrace the gift of grace more fully.
Grace is like a seed that we plant in their hearts.
Each seed is a gentle mercy, though small at the time of planting, which can grow to epic proportions when tended and fed diligently. 2 Peter talks about this process, of growing grace in our hearts. Yet, to grow in grace, the ability to offer undeserved favor to others, must be fulfilled in tandem with our knowledge of the Lord.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
Just like us, ladies, their hearts are fertile ground for the seeds that will be sown. Often, my efforts to plant grace has been met with the stark awareness of my own insecurities, hurts, and wounds. My shortcomings shine bright living in real life 24/7/365 with my children, much like a glaring mirror that reminds me how priceless this grace walk is.
Each day is an opportunity to go first to the throne of grace and seek His mercy in order to lead our daughters on the same journey.
Each day is a reminder that their hearts are a garden that we get to tend.
Each day is filled with new mercies; divine opportunities to cultivate more of Christ in ourselves so that we can do the same in them.
Ultimately, the more we take time to meet with the Lord in prayer and time spent in His Word, the deeper our knowledge of Him becomes. This knowing Christ, this intimate acquaintance with Jesus changes our perspective on life.
As we spill life into others, we pour out the grace seeds planted in our hearts.
Consider the process of planting a seed. At first the amount of time involved seems to show little productivity for the effort. It can seem as if, there is little change taking place. Unless you know what the plant will look like, it is hard to tell whether the seedling is a weed or the tender green shoot of the adult plant. We must be intentional as we pull the weeds that arise, tending the fertile soil of their hearts so the environment is favorable to strong growth.
This tending doesn’t mean we constantly hover and shield their hearts. It may just mean the allowance of a storm or two to shape them. When the winds blow and the rain comes, it causes the plant to become strong enough to withstand change.
Sometimes this journey means we stand back and pray for our girls as we wait for those seeds of grace to sprout and grow.
[bctt tweet=”Today I will plant seeds of grace in the heart of my daughter. #lovemom”]
Have you ever looked out the window after a storm has passed? The color of the landscape changes drastically. Like looking through a prism, the spectrum shifts and our senses pick up on the difference. The grass looks greener, the air smells cleaner, and sometimes there may even be a rainbow curved across the sky.
Grace shines in technicolor when His light reveals the promise embedded within the DNA of each seed planted in our hearts by Love.
Though they will face storms and trials that we can’t stop we can trust that grace will be in the outcome, because we know that His banner over us is Love. Many times, the trial results in a pruning process which can be painful and hard to watch. Yet, when we remember the storms we have traveled, we can use that knowledge as the fertilizer we apply to the garden of their hearts to strengthen and stake them securely in His grip.
Each part of the process, the planting, the weeding, and the pruning are necessary for the fruit to grow in their hearts.
Friends, we are planting beautiful seeds in our girls as we teach them to dig deep, to cultivate a heart of wisdom, and to operate in the power of grace-filled living. These seeds of grace are encoded with heaven’s bounty, and we can trust that the Father, who is a diligent rewarder of those who seek Him, will complete all He has started.
May your hearts be nurtured in the knowledge of the Lord and the power of His grace!
Blessings,
Dawn
Author, writer and speaker, Dawn is passionate about many things: God, Family, Prayer, Food, and the Word. You can find her writing about those hard questions, reasoning and rejoicing in God’s grace and mercy for those who are walking this journey to grace on her website, Journeys In Grace.(www.journeysingrace.com