Gò0dNews for Parents
A Father’s Compassion
“A
by Rebekah Hargraves
s a father has compassion on his children, so
in our ongoing transformation of growing ever more into
the Lord has compassion on those who fear
the likeness of Christ day by day.
him. For he knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14). The moment my first baby was born, I birthed along
Our gracious God not only lovingly walks alongside us in this journey, constantly working in our hearts, but He also sovereignly brings good from even the biggest sins and
with her the expectation that I not only would be—but
mistakes we make as mothers. In fact, it has been on those
should be—a perfect mom. You can imagine how quickly
days when I have lost my temper at my children the worst
that goal fell flat! Soon, I was believing that I was the only imperfect mom in the world, and my poor children had been stuck with me. If I have learned anything from Paul’s lament at the end of Romans 7, it is this: not one of us is perfect. And we never will be! We are certainly made perfect through Christ and imputed with His righteousness, but in our own hearts, we still daily battle the sin nature. I finally realized an important truth as I was in tears again one day over what a “horrible” mother I was—the Lord never asked me to be
and then, broken over my sin, gone to them in repentance
a perfect mom. He only ever asked me to point my kids to a
and together prayed to the Lord that I have seen my
Perfect Savior.
children grasp the truths of the Gospel like never before.
Isn’t that freeing? As we travel (and, let’s face it,
It isn’t that we choose to go on sinning that grace may
sometimes stumble!) down the path of sanctification, we
abound. Rather, it is that we have a hope to cling to when
oftentimes surprise ourselves with just how much we still
we do fall again and again. Our Lord is picking us back
repeatedly struggle with various sins. The Psalmist assures
up with never-ending grace and forgiveness, assuring us
us in Psalm 103:13-14, however, that our Heavenly Father is
again that our children have only one Perfect Parent—our
not surprised by our struggles. He knows we are but dust,
Heavenly Father Himself.
He loves us with tender compassion as He seeks to help us
18 // April 2020
About The Author
always battling the flesh and its desires. In the midst of this, Rebekah Hargraves is a wife, mama of two littles, blogger, podcaster, and author whose passion is to edify, equip, and encourage women in their journey of Biblical womanhood, particularly with an emphasis on the gospel and its implications for everyday life. You can find Rebekah on her website, Hargraves Home and Hearth, on Instagram, or on iTunes via The Home and Hearth podcast.
