The Holy Spirit Meets Us in Everyday Parenting
The Moment That Set Everything Off
I usually have my quiet time and most often my devotion time during my bath or shower. That’s when I get to regroup. The whole house is quiet, everyone is asleep, I am not thinking about meals or snacks, or crafts or bathe times, and it becomes the perfect moment to breathe. A few weeks back, however, I went into the shower earlier than usual, while everyone was still awake. The older two were watching TV since there’s no school tomorrow because its summer, I figured I would quietly slip into the bathroom and shower while they all watched something with my littlest.
Just as I snuck out of the room, our eldest put on a show I don’t really like. Not because it’s inappropriate, but sometimes the characters wear scary masks, and that frightens the little sister. I turned around and told her to switch it off, adding probably far more words than I needed to. (the more the better right? 😉) I went on and on about how late it was and how she needed to put on something more edifying. She got the point and changed the show, but of course, she wasn’t happy and neither was I.
By the time I finally stepped into the shower for my usual routine, I wasn’t thinking about the TV anymore. I was thinking about my parenting. I found myself feeling guilty. Guilty for not sitting with them while they watched TV, maybe if I sat with them, I could teach instead of simply correcting. I thought about the school days when they come home wanting my attention, but I’m tied up in a meeting. The moments I snap instead of slowing down. The thoughts just kept coming and very quickly what had begun as a simple “Take off the show”, was driving me full force into guilt and condemnation.
Where the Holy Spirit Met Me
I thought about Jesus, how He discipled more than He ordered those in His care around. He didn’t simply tell them what to do, He walked with them. He modelled truth. He explained. He loved patiently. I have heard it often said that, kids are like sponges, and in that moment I began to wonder about the things we, as parents, do daily. Do our actions draw our children toward Christ, or push them away?
Then I remembered a song I had listened to earlier that morning about the Mercy of God by The Belonging Co featuring Mitch Wong. I have put the link here just in case you would like to listen to it. The Lord began to minister to me, reminding me of my own childhood. Of the things I learned and didn’t learn, and how they shaped me. I grew up in a religious home, but not the kind where we read the Bible and prayed every day. We went to church every Sunday in our Sunday best, but no one taught us how to hear from God. And yet, in His mercy and grace, here I am now as an adult: reading my Bible, listening for His voice.
He reminded me of the nights I binge‑watched shows, some of them scary, yet He preserved me from the very things I now fear for my children, nightmares, violence, spiritual heaviness. He reminded me of choices I made or didn’t make when I was younger, choices that could have led me down a completely different path if not for His mercy.
There were things we never learned in church growing up; spiritual warfare, fasting and praying, discernment, things like listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit but yet in His mercy, He brought the right lessons at the right time.
Understanding God’s Mercy
1 John 2:20 talks about the anointing of God that teaches us all things.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error].
Now, does that mean we should let our children watch whatever they want or live however they please because God is merciful? Of course not. We are parents, stewards of our children. But I believe the Lord brought all this to mind because again by His Mercy He was rescuing me from condemnation that I was starting to slip into, but also to remind me that His mercy that was and is available to me is also available to our children. It is also available to you my friend!
The Lord never condemns us (Romans 8:1). Through the Holy Spirit, He convicts us and leads us to repentance.
And here is what He taught me:
I cannot understand God’s mercy until I acknowledge my actions and recognize the consequences I should have faced.
When we understand what we’ve done and where we could have ended up, yet look at our lives and see that we are not reaping what we sowed, then we begin to grasp His mercy.
When we understand our sin, the gravity of it, and the punishment we deserved which is death, (wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23), and then look at the cross, where Jesus took our place and suffered what was due to us, only then do we truly understand His mercy.
The most profound part for me is this: Jesus did all of that for me before I even knew Him. And He didn’t do it for me alone, but for our children, our spouses, our parents, our friends, our co-workers, and yes, even the person who hurt us.
His mercy covers them too.
It’s the mercy of God.
A Mother Learning Mercy
With three children and all the hustle and bustle of life, I fall short many times. Some days I look back and can’t even tell where the time went. I didn’t have a moment to pray or have devotion, which is why I often do it in the shower before bed.
But I’ve learned this:
They don’t thrive because of what we do or don’t do.
We are not protected, provided for, loved, or kept in peace because of our performance.
We are kept because of Him.
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22–23
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of mercy. Thank You that even when I deserve the consequences of my decisions, You do not repay me as I deserve. Thank You for Your open arms, always ready to receive me when I come to You. Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness, O God. Amen.
If this encouraged you, feel free to share it or leave a comment below. I love hearing how God is meeting you in your everyday moments too.