Why Mommies Get Angry - Sin is Against the Lord

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,

Psalm 51:4

Against You, You only, have I sinned,

And done this evil in Your sight—

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.

My kids and one family of cousins in 1997.

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.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We must be careful when we instruct our children about their sin, that we do not snarl the Lord's Name as a mighty club in discipline, but gently reprove them and remind them of His eternal grace, mercy and love.  He longs to forgive them, He longs to draw them into His everlasting arms and He longs to fill them with His spirit so they will not have to continue in sin.

Then, when they have made their sin right with the Lord, their mommies can draw them into their waiting arms, forgive them and continue to parent them in a way that brings glory and honor to the Lord.

**********

You can read the  previous posts in this series, Understanding the Sin Nature, Raising Mommies, Unrealistic Expectations,  and Embarrassed Instead of Humbled   .