Anger can arise while parenting a child when we don’t fully understand that they sin against the Lord, not against us.
David had an adulterous affair and committed murder to cover that sin. He failed miserably. Yet, in anguish of soul, he is confessing to the Lord,
Yes, David had to live with the consequences and make restitution with those that were affected by his sin, but he understood that His sin was against a Holy God.
If we feel heavily the weight of our children’s sin against a holy God, we will be grieved, not angry. There is no room for us to be offended by their sin, only a passion to help them understand how sin sets them apart from the Lord. He cannot have sin in His presence.
How does it really affect us if they don’t hang up their coat for the entire time they live in our home? We’re inconvenienced. How does it really affect their relationship with the Lord if they habitually ignore and disobey their mother? The greatest affect of their sin is on their relationship with the Lord.
For unsaved children, sin proves their need for a Savior.
For saved children, sin breaks fellowship. To restore fellowship they need to confess their sin first to the Lord, then to others affected. We often have our children confess to others, asking forgiveness, but when we omit the step of confessing to the Lord, we are losing an opportunity to teach them about restoring fellowship with the God of Heaven.
Have you read "Shepherding a child's heart?" This post reminds me of what that book talked about. Very true and thanks for sharing.