Best Teacher: Mistakes
And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Matthew 4:19
This is a time to celebrate! Graduation is a memorable event whether it’s kindergarten or a doctorate. The picture taking, advice, parties, future plans and gifts are all something to be remembered forever. In those moments, parenthood changes. Ericka Loynes shares her story (Mornings with Jesus).
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As High School graduation approached, I found myself trying to teach my son all of the life skills I felt he still needed to learn before he left for collage. Once I showed him how to do something new, I expected him to immediately apply that knowledge and be proficient. Clearly, my expectations were unrealistic.
I can be impatient with other people’s development. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t respond the same way. When He recruited His disciples, they were not instantly the scholars, preachers, missionaries, teachers, evangelists, and martyrs that I read about in the Bible. In fact, they were self-centered (Matthew 18:1-4, 47-54). It was only after they followed Jesus, made mistakes, and learned tough lessons along the way that they developed into the “fishers of men” He was training them to be (Matthew 4:19).
Just like Jesus was patient with the pace of His disciples’ growth, I must be patient with my son. As much as I wish my accelerated training prepared him for every possible scenario that will come his way, I recognize that he’ll benefit from facing life’s challenges, making his own decisions and learning from his mistakes.
FAITH STEP: Write down all of the expectations you have of yourself and others. Even if your expectations are reasonable, make a promise to create a safe space and extend godly grace for all of you to grow in Jesus.