Today I saw my four-year-old daughter sitting on the kitchen counter, and said sternly, "Get off the counter. You're not supposed to be up there." She stared at me with a bewildered expression on her face, and softly said, "But Dad, you put me up here." Indeed I had given her a hug and put her on the counter, then walked across the kitchen to deal with something else, and then turned around and found her on the counter. In that short a time I had forgotten that I had put her there! Oops.
We are not perfect parents. I will not list my faults here, nor will I ask you to list yours. What's most important is that we are willing to admit our failures to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. Also important - and sometimes harder - is to admit to our children when we make mistakes. They need to see that we are sinners just like they are, but that we have a forgiving heavenly Father who is quick to show us grace when we repent. Our children should learn from us that they can always go quickly to God for forgiveness when they sin.
I hugged my daughter as I gently took her down from the counter and put her back on the floor. I acknowledged she was right and said I was sorry for that mistake. I asked her to forgive me. She did. And I know the Lord forgave me too.
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