Passing Along Grace to Our Children

In the stress and madness of everyday parenting, the false idea that you should be a supermom is one of the main challenges that makes it difficult to keep coming back to a place of receiving daily grace. The cape just gets in the way. Thankfully, grace is always there to answer lies with the Truth.

When I confront my own brokenness and acknowledge how much I need God, I begin actively receiving His love and support. If I avoid looking at my weaknesses, I can’t fully see the beautiful changes He is bringing about. It’s tough to face our flaws, but it’s liberating to know they’re being redeemed by Christ’s actions (1 Peter 1:18–19). So even if you don’t feel like a supermom (which you shouldn’t), remember that you’ve been given something even better: space to breathe and just be. God’s grace creates this space within us, and it is something we can help pass along to our kids.

Your kids will not remember every story you read to them, every interaction, or every piece of advice you share with them throughout their lives, but they will vividly remember how you react when you stumble in front of them—and how you respond to their blunders as well. Did you show up without shame with an open embrace that proved you were both learning and growing together? And if you didn’t at first, did you own your mistake and make it right? Our own moments of falling short, along with our kids’ slip-ups, will ultimately reveal what we’re genuinely teaching them about grace.

We want to believe that our spoken lessons carry the most weight, but it’s our way of being toward ourselves, God, and our kids that makes the most lasting impression. Despite your kids’ choices and differences, they will likely follow your lead in terms of emotional regulation. This is why it is vital to consistently humble ourselves (Proverbs 22:4) and let God reshape our inner world so that what’s inside is aligned with the truth of God’s grace.

God, thank You for your grace that overcomes the lies I believe about my role as a mother. Help me to live out and model this grace so that I might pass along an understanding of Your truth to my children. Amen.