Introduction
- The Background - Helicopter and lawnmower parents both take an overprotective approach to protect and to prevent their children from having to face adversity, struggle, or failure.
- The Result - We end up with a generation that would avoid failures and making mistakes at all costs.
- The Problem - No matter how much you love our children, you won't be with them forever. We cannot take care of them or overprotect them forever. One day our children will grow up. They will have to face the world on their own.
- The Question - Have you thought about what kind of lives your children will lead when you are gone?
- When it comes to other people's failure, we are quite ready to accept them as good and beneficial.
- But when it comes to ourselves and our children, we are doing what we can to avoid failure.
- What if failure actually helps us and our children go forward?
Peter's failure
- Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. (Matthew 26:31-35)
- Peter's denial of Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75) - Peter denied Jesus three times while Jesus was being interrogated by the Jewish religious leaders just as Jesus had predicted. Peter felt ashamed, cried and fled.
- How we feel after failure does not necessarily reflect the future outcome of our failure. But rather it is: "What you do after the failure determines the outcome of that failure."
- Peter’s failure did not lead to a dead-end, because there was something significant that Peter did after his failure that makes the biggest difference.
- Peter truly repented and his repentance became a prerequisite for his next encounter and redemption with Jesus.
- The restoration of Peter (John 21:15-19) - Jesus asks whether Peter loves him three times and Peter affirmed his love for Jesus three times.
- Peter had denied Jesus three times and Jesus here commissioned him three times to take care of his sheep.
- Jesus is empowering Peter and reinstating Peter as a disciple.
To Learn
- What Peter taught us is that no matter how desperate our failure is, or how severe our shame is, Jesus can forgive and renew us and then use us for His purpose.
- Behind every failure, there is an opportunity to experience growth and restoration.
- "Failure is the beginning of something great in God."
- We as parents can help our children to build them grit or resilience by allowing them to make mistakes.
- Failure and restoration is Jesus’ model of creating a disciple.
- Do you believe that God can restore you and your children's mistakes and failures?
- Our belief in Christianity and the message of redemption was based on failure - a king that was nailed to the cross.
- Three days later, God brought salvation through that same cross and now it is a symbol of hope and love.
To-Do for Parents
- Start with allowing your children to make some small failures.
- Walk with them.
- Take each small failure as an opportunity to point them to Jesus.
- Show them who is their Lord.
- Show them who they can count on 100% of the time.
The Challenge
- Instead of thinking of raising an adult, we should really be thinking about how to raise a disciple
- Make your family into a school of discipleship
