Create a Home Full of Grace

Whitney Hopler

God's grace is a powerful tool for interacting well with family members and effectively running a household. Without it, your home will likely be a source of constant stress. But with it, you and others in your family can create a fulfilling life together.

Here are some ways you can create a home full of grace:

• Realize that every family member is a child of God and an eternal being. As a result, each person is worthy of great respect and love. Ask God to help you see everyone in your family from His perspective.
• Look to God as your ultimate provider. Know that you don't have to rely just on your own resources and that God is always with you, ready to listen to your prayers and respond.
• Forgive each other. Remember that God forgave you for all your sins when He died on the cross. Seek God's help to forgive everyone who hurts you.
• Be patient with each other, understanding that no is perfect and that everyone is growing. Have high expectations but understand that growth is a process.
• Encourage each other. Applaud each family member's good qualities and recognize each person's efforts. Strive to work together to bring out the best in each family member so your family as a whole will also mature.
• Be courteous. Pay attention to good manners at home as well as when you go out.
• Honor your commitments to your spouse, your children, and others in your family. View your marriage as a covenant. Seek God's guidance and strength for your parenting rather than giving up during tough times.
• Communicate honestly and regularly. Set aside time every day to truly listen to each other's thoughts and feelings.
• Cultivate a vision for your family's future. Think and pray about the direction God wants you to go as He shapes your family's unique life together.
• Remember that God is in control of every season of your life. Ask Him to teach you what He wants you to learn from your current circumstances.
• Be available. Let your family members know that you will make it a priority to be there for them whenever they need you.
• Frequently express your love for each other through words, physical affection, and kind gestures.
• Let family members know that you completely accept them no matter what. This will give them great peace and security.
• Discipline your children with two goals in mind: managing your children's behavior according to God's principles and making them feel loved in the process.
• Read the Bible together and let others in your family see your passion for God's Word.
• Let children share household responsibilities and expect them to be trustworthy. Whenever your children demonstrate trustworthiness, affirm their right behavior and let them know you're proud of them.
• Allow family members the freedom to learn from their mistakes, but step in to help if you see that a mistake is putting a family member in danger.
• Establish a regular time to pray for your family every day.
  

Adapted from A Home Full of Grace, copyright 2002 by John and Susan Yates. Published by Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., www.bakerbooks.com, 1-800-877-2665.

John Yates is rector of The Falls Church (Episcopal) in Falls Church, Virginia. Susan has written several books and is a frequent guest on FamilyLife Today and other national radio programs. They are popular speakers at marriage and family conferences around the country. Their five children (and their spouses) have joined them in writing this book about the family.

How graceful is your family life right now? What are some ways you strive to rely on God's grace in your relationships with family members and to help you run your household? Visit Crosswalk's forums to discuss this topic by clicking on the link below.