in conclusion...

A few months ago I started reading Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. I finished it yesterday, and it is really, really good. Really. As I finished the last chapter, my extra pregnancy hormones and God's goodness mixed together for a flood of tears. Here's the excerpt that opened the floodgates.

[God] chose you to assist Him in a miracle. He gave you children and then said, "Now go, and give these precious lives meaning." It's a mandate that comes with a great reward if you succeed, but a heavy price if you fail.

This is where many parents panic. When they realize that their job is to raise up children to love and serve God, they wonder how on earth they will do that.

The answer isn't on earth. It's found in heaven. It's sitting on an eternal throne. he has many names, but among my favorites is "The God of Grace." You wonder, How am I to raise up children to love and serve God? The answer is actually not that difficult. You simply need to treat your children the way God treats you.

He does it in His grace.

And here's the good part. If the only thing you get right as parents is His grace, everything else will be just fine.

SO...pick up a copy of this book. Buy, borrow, beg, whatever you need to do, just get a copy of the book. And read it. And prepare to have your perspective changed. It's a really good one.