Connect with us

Articles

Welcomed with Love and Mercy

It was my son’s unhesitating delight in me, despite my sin, that melted my heart. It was the love in his eyes that triggered sorrow over my sin.

Spread the love

Published

on

They say that when you become a parent, you learn about God from a whole new perspective. You begin to understand the love God the Father has for us, His children, through your love for your children. Recently parenting did indeed teach me about the love of God — but I wasn’’t the one mirroring the Father’s image. Instead, it was the way my seven-year-old son loved me that gave me a glimpse of how God loves me.

Six-thirty a.m. on a school day. No amount of sugar-coating will make it less ugly, so I’ll just be frank: I threw a colossal temper tantrum. Complete with name-calling and kicking a kitchen cabinet. I yelled. I slammed dishes around. I shamed and belittled a seven-year-old. Just seeing this description of myself in black and white makes me want to crawl in a hole … but there it is.

By the time we needed to leave, I wasn’t yet truly feeling sorry. I hate to admit it, but I didn’t have a sincere desire to repent and reconcile with my kids. I was still angry — a combination of anger over the original trigger, and anger at myself for acting so irrational and out-of-control. Mercifully, I had a moment of clarity, realizing that if something happened that day, and the last interaction I had with my son was this shameful tantrum, I’d never be able to live with it.

So I knelt down and looked in his eyes. I told him that although I had been angry, that didn’t make it okay for me to yell at him and call him a baby, and I was wrong to treat him like that. I apologized and asked him to forgive me.

Elijah didn’t hesitate to extend forgiveness. It frequently blows me away how quick my children are to accept my apologies, even when I’ve been horrible to them. I hugged and kissed him, and also hugged and kissed my four-year-old (who had suffered collateral damage from my tantrum, receiving a few harsh words of his own for minor things that ordinarily wouldn’t have been such a big deal), and we got in the car.

While the instant forgiveness was beautiful and impressive, that wasn’t what struck me hardest. The really remarkable thing happened later that morning.

It was my first opportunity to volunteer in Elijah’s first grade classroom. I went in at 9:00 a.m., and when Elijah and his classmates filed in from gym class, they found me sitting at a table in the back.

And despite the terrible morning we’d had — despite the inexcusable way I’d treated him just a couple of hours before — my son was thrilled to see me. He was excited to claim me, to identify with me. He wanted all his little friends to know that “Miss Amy” was his mom. He did a great job acting normal, not going crazy or being super distracted by my presence, but again and again, he’d shoot me a glance from across the room and grin big.

I only stayed for an hour, but I thought about the pride in Elijah’s eyes, the joy in his smile, for the rest of the day. He didn’t look at me and think, That’s the crazy, angry mom who screamed at me and made me feel sad this morning. He saw me and delighted in me. He saw me and welcomed me. He saw me and thought, That’s my mom! I love her! It’s so great that she’s here with me!

I’m not saying it doesn’t matter that I have a yelling problem. I’m not saying I don’t need to work on that. But in the midst of my messy, ugly brokenness, God had a sweet picture for me. Through the unconditional love of my seven-year-old son, I think He was showing me:

When you sin against Me, I see the beauty of My Son in you, overpowering the ugly parts of your heart.

When you sin against Me, I welcome you with open arms.

When you sin against Me, I still love you. I still call you Mine. I am so glad when you want to be with Me.

It was my son’s unhesitating delight in me, despite my sin, that melted my heart. I didn’t repent when I belittled myself internally: You are not fit to be his mother. How can you treat him that way, you jerk?! Believe me, those words pounded in my head. But when they did, I felt only shame and disgust, which merely fueled my anger. It was seeing Elijah’s smile that made me truly repentant about how I’d treated him. It was the love in his eyes that triggered sorrow over my sin.

I want to model unconditional love and quick forgiveness toward my kids. But in order to get there, I first have to learn to rest secure and confident in the Father’s unconditional love and quick forgiveness toward me. His response to my ugliest sin is to stretch His arms wide and invite me to His throne of grace where I’ll find mercy. And I can love my sons well only when I realize how wide and long and high and deep is His love for me.

Spread the love

Amy Kannel often suffers from spiritual amnesia, easily forgetting who Jesus is and what He has done for her—so she writes to remember His faithfulness and help others see Him as the Main Thing. She makes her home in the Nashville area and will be forever grateful to the South for introducing her to tomato pie. When she’s not writing, you might find Amy making said pie and other kitchen messes, singing to her four-year-old son, reading with her seven-year-old son, or ballroom dancing in the living room with Mr. Wonderful. And if you'd told her ten years ago that she would even think of mentioning cooking in a bio, she would have declared you certifiably insane…which just goes to show that she serves a God who’s in the business of changing people. You can find more of Amy’s writing at Choosing Hallelujah.

Welcome to Ungrind!

Do you want to be inspired, motivated, and equipped to live the everyday story of your life well?

If so, you’re in the right place. Whether you need encouragement in your relationships or in your faith, I hope you’ll find the transparent voices of mentors and friends here at Ungrind.

So, grab a cup of coffee and keep reading. We're so glad you're here!

Ashleigh Slater, Founder & Managing Editor

Get Our Free Ebook!

Sign up to receive weekly emails from Ungrind and you’ll get the free ebook, Better Together. Be encouraged by stories of hope from women just like you!

Latest Articles

What Women Are Saying

"For weary mornings after tending to wee ones all night long or for listless evenings when you need a hopeful thought to sleep on, stop by Ungrind. You'll find a feast for your eyes and soul -- practical, engaging articles that gracefully balance the gritty realities of life with eternal possibilities."

-- Jenny Schroedel, author of Naming the Child: Hope-filled Reflections on Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death

Featured Resource

"Real life is not always pleasant. Every marriage experiences disappointments, misunderstandings, sickness and financial crisis. Ashleigh doesn’t camouflage the pain in her own marriage, and offers practical ideas on how to walk through the difficulties and find intimacy on the journey. If you are anything like me, I predict that as you read, you too will find yourself laughing, wiping tears, and saying 'Oh, yes.'"

-- Gary Chapman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages

Disclosure

We are a member of the Amazon affiliate program and regularly use affiliate links. If you purchase an item from an Amazon link we provide, we will receive a small referral commission. This doesn’t cost you anything additional. We only share books, music, and products that our writers personally have used and highly recommend.

Trending

Ungrind

Welcomed with Love and Mercy

by Amy Kannel time to read: 4 min