THE grace

A gem of a moment with R tonight:

I told him to stop scooting the stepstool across the floor. He immediately did ONE more scoot, crashing into the wall and falling back onto his bum. Then I took him aside for training. Before I could say anything, he looked at me very seriously and said, "Mom. I'm sorry I scooted the stool. Will you forgive me?" (and you KNOW he has those EYES. . . )

"R, did you disobey Mommy?" I asked. (thinking, "wow. we're clearing this up pretty quickly!)
"No." was his response.

So I launched into my schpeel about how I have to spank him when he disobeys and how not obeying the first time is disobedience and how God hates lying. . . etc., etc.

By this point he was crying, because I had said the work "Spank."

"You don't have to spank me!" he said. "I already fell on my bum and THAT was like a spank!"

But it wasn't.

"Mom, can you give me grace this time?" he asks. (melting my heart, and causing me to wonder how many times I can extend grace and still have it be grace.)

I picked him up as I was mentally weighing what I should do. I'd already spanked him for lying today. I'd already spanked him for deliberately disobeying. But he's sick. And I did let him off the hook for "accidently" locking us all out of the bathroom. And he was already crying and had already asked for forgiveness. . . though he does seem to think that those words are enough to "fix" any poor choice. . .

"Mom? Did you give me the grace yet?" he asked, {looking around for it}.

And then I did. I snuggled and loved this adorable boy who is growing so quickly in his understanding of obedience and consequences and grace.