As we enter the holiday season it is, for many of us, a time to step away from our busy lives, to reflect on family and the things that are most important to us. It is a season that begins with a uniquely American holiday where we pause to give thanks for all we have been blessed with. It ends with an amazing outpouring of generosity as we frantically search for that perfect gift to tell someone dear how much we love them. We get particular joy in watching the excitement on the faces of the children as they frantically tear off the wrapping paper, we spent so much effort to apply.
There is a special gift, however, that we as parents can give our children. It is so valuable that it cannot be bought in any store, nor will it appear in any Black Friday promotion. It is a gift that can only come from your heart and the love that only a parent can give to their child. It is perhaps the greatest gift that you can give your children.
What is this mystery gift you may be asking? Well I’m glad you asked. It is safety – safety to try and fail and in the process take the stage of their greatness.
Failure holds a unique place in the human experience. It is not something to be feared, but rather embraced as part and parcel of our journey. Small failures often serve as teachers that help us avoid bigger problems in the future. Failure molds and forms the human spirit, preparing our character for our significant achievements to come. Many who have embraced their sovereignty and walked out onto the stage of greatness have done so amid the fog of failure.
Perfection as a goal is unattainable. It is an illusion, like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Many have met with nothing but frustration and disappointment in the pursuit of it. The unachievable can be a hard taskmaster, leaving one broken and without hope of a future. Spending ourselves in the pursuit of perfection will leave us exhausted and often faced with the failings we fear the most. However, accepting our imperfections and spending ourselves in the pursuit of our sovereign purpose is a journey that culminates in a great sense of accomplishment.
There are difficult times that our children will be faced with as they journey along the road to write their own unique story – the story of them. In times like these their self-esteem can take a real battering. We cannot protect them from it once they leave our protective sphere. We can however equip them for it and help them know how to use the great challenges of life and attain to their true greatness. If as children they learn that our love is unconditional and that their failure will not separate them from our love, then they will enter the world with the self-confidence they need to overcome all that life throws at them.
As humans, we have a tremendous capacity to fail, learn, try again, and then succeed mightily. That process is rooted in our imperfect nature and is impossible to disentangle from our ability to learn and our drive to advance. It is as though important life lessons can only be achieved through failure, and that true riches are found in the time of our greatest need.
And so, this holiday season presents us with a unique opportunity to stop and spend time with our children and grandchildren. A time to enter the world our that teenager struggling to discover their true self. A time to reinforce that you are there for them, you have their back and that your love will always be there for them.
There is a special gift, however, that we as parents can give our children. It is so valuable that it cannot be bought in any store, nor will it appear in any Black Friday promotion. It is a gift that can only come from your heart and the love that only a parent can give to their child. It is perhaps the greatest gift that you can give your children.
What is this mystery gift you may be asking? Well I’m glad you asked. It is safety – safety to try and fail and in the process take the stage of their greatness.
Failure holds a unique place in the human experience. It is not something to be feared, but rather embraced as part and parcel of our journey. Small failures often serve as teachers that help us avoid bigger problems in the future. Failure molds and forms the human spirit, preparing our character for our significant achievements to come. Many who have embraced their sovereignty and walked out onto the stage of greatness have done so amid the fog of failure.
Perfection as a goal is unattainable. It is an illusion, like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Many have met with nothing but frustration and disappointment in the pursuit of it. The unachievable can be a hard taskmaster, leaving one broken and without hope of a future. Spending ourselves in the pursuit of perfection will leave us exhausted and often faced with the failings we fear the most. However, accepting our imperfections and spending ourselves in the pursuit of our sovereign purpose is a journey that culminates in a great sense of accomplishment.
There are difficult times that our children will be faced with as they journey along the road to write their own unique story – the story of them. In times like these their self-esteem can take a real battering. We cannot protect them from it once they leave our protective sphere. We can however equip them for it and help them know how to use the great challenges of life and attain to their true greatness. If as children they learn that our love is unconditional and that their failure will not separate them from our love, then they will enter the world with the self-confidence they need to overcome all that life throws at them.
As humans, we have a tremendous capacity to fail, learn, try again, and then succeed mightily. That process is rooted in our imperfect nature and is impossible to disentangle from our ability to learn and our drive to advance. It is as though important life lessons can only be achieved through failure, and that true riches are found in the time of our greatest need.
And so, this holiday season presents us with a unique opportunity to stop and spend time with our children and grandchildren. A time to enter the world our that teenager struggling to discover their true self. A time to reinforce that you are there for them, you have their back and that your love will always be there for them.
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