grace upon grace

asher: mom? i think i wanna climb this tree.
me: um, ok. how are you going to get up there?
asher: well, i'm not sure because i'm a little too short to reach.
*we both stare at the tree for a minute, analyzing the situation.
me: well, i could give you a boost and help you up there.
asher: yeah! ok!
*i push him up into the crook of the tree
asher: alright! now i just need to climb to the very top.
me: alright. how are you going to get there?
asher: i just need to figure out a way to get to that other branch.
me: yes, but let me tell you something about climbing trees. as the branches get smaller, they also get weaker. that means the small ones can't hold big boys up. they're only for squirrels and birds to climb on.
asher: yeah, ok. i can make it to that next big branch though. i just gotta make it to the top so that i can see the whole world! and if i fall, your job is to catch me.
me: i will certainly try to, lovey.

let me just go ahead and confess that my instinct when he asked to climb that tree was to say no. i wanted to say, "no. that tree is too big and you are too small. you could fall and get hurt." although it would've been true, i think that response would've crushed his little tree-climbing spirit.  thankfully, i've been reading a book called Grace Based Parenting: Set Your Family Free by Dr. Tim Kimmel. Dr. Kimmel has been teaching me to try to parent my children the way the Lord parents me.

grace upon grace upon grace.

it is a sweet cycle that is consistently pointing our family back to Christ. i cannot distribute grace without remembering from whom i first received it. every time the Lord uses me to breathe the sweet breath of grace into my children's souls, i pray that they understand a little more about who Christ is and what he has done.

my big boy asked me to climb a tree today. i was nervous. i didn't want to let him. but then the Lord reminded me that what Asher was asking to do was not sinful or wrong. i had no right to crush his little boy dreams of seeing the whole world from the top of a small tree. instead, my job as his parent is to show him grace by giving him a boost, guiding him on the climb, and being there to catch him if he falls.