Thank You List Saturday #14

"I Give You"

That's how Obi Wan-da says "I forgive you".  

I don't know where I read or heard about the importance of teaching children about the importance of saying "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you", but boy am I thankful for it.  Forgiveness is a hard lesson to learn the older you get.  Learning to say "I'm sorry" can be just as difficult.

As siblings separated by two years, two genders and two very different dispositions, Obi Wan-da and Doc Brown are getting a lot of practice with both.

I've struggled a lot over the years with holding grudges against others and myself.  I'm learning that in addition to it being the last thing Christ wants me to do, it has kept me from fully enjoying some relationships and scared me off from others altogether. 

I don't want that for my kids.

God has been growing me in this area in recent years, but some of the lessons have been painful.  I'm hoping that God will help me prepare the kids so they can live in the habit of forgiveness and avoid some of those tough lessons.  I know they won't believe it now but down the road there's going to be much bigger stuff to forgive than just borrowed crayons.

Doc is going through a bossy phase and his strong-willed sister is having none of it.  There's been more than one scuffle as a result.  I know these episodes will take more than an "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you" to correct, but I'm so thankful for the restoration and peace my kids are experiencing in the meantime.