Reconciliation with math problems

My six year old can be challenging. She can argue and whine and make me rattle my brain for appropriate consequences. I used to threaten to take away the privilege she has to go to sleep next to me.  Then I realized that no matter her behavior and no matter the need for a consequence, I did not want her to have to fall asleep alone, knowing I was angry with her. Bedtime is our reconciliation time. She needs the routine of a Hidden pictures, telling me the best part of her day, and doing math problems before sleep. She shares things she does not at other times of the day.

            A parent- child relationship is different than other relationships, of course. In other relationships it may be necessary to speak hard truths before bed or even on the way to church.  As Caz pointed out, we cannot claim that we are not a “people person” or that we are right and the other person was wrong. God reached down to reconcile to us. We were not ready to apologize. We were not ready to change. But He valued a relationship with us.       

            Caz shared Matthew 5:21 and how it matters to God that our relationships are right. It is not enough to keep marriage vows and maintain civility. We need to step and up and offer reconciliation.   Someday my six year old will outgrow her bedtime routine, and reconciliation will not be as simple and sweet as my hand on her back. What could my impact be if I offered others the same grace that I offer my kids? What could the impact in your life be?

  Beth Kropf