Standards

In my household lately, standards have been a topic of regular discussion. We may not label them as such, but that is what it is. With teenagers in the house, it seems that we spend a disproportionate amount of time discussing the minimum amount of effort we are willing to accept as parents. I realize this is an unfair assessment of my family life right now, but it is so easy to focus on the times that our standards get scrapped along the bottom of the barrel. 

I was talking the other day about how I have learned more about God through parenthood than any other life experience so far. Many times, as I hold my children, or myself, to an impossible standard, I am reminded of how God cares for me. I am so glad God doesn’t treat me the way I treat others at times. It is humbling to be reminded that God’s standard is one that I can never measure up to, but in His mercy, He sent Jesus to meet that standard for me. 

So, does that mean we don’t need to worry about standards in our life? Of course not, Jesus didn’t come to erase the law, he fulfilled it. The standards still exist and they are useful. They remind us of who we are and why we need Jesus in our lives. They guide us in proper behavior, with the knowledge that our hope isn’t in meeting those standards perfectly, but in the life-saving work Jesus did for us in his death and resurrection.

Lydia Massie, Director of Children’s Ministry