Freedom of Vulnerability: Notes from Dr. Tim Kimmel’s Grace Based Parenting
Kelley Stine

God wants us to be vulnerable with Him, we want our children to be vulnerable with us, and they need to see us being vulnerable with Jesus.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV):
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Our kids have inner feelings of insecurity, insignificance, and inadequacy and as parents we need to meet those needs with love, purpose, and hope. There will be things in our lives and our kid’s lives that make us fragile and don’t get fixed the way we prayed. We are vulnerable, but instead of turning away or blaming God we need to hold on tighter. Lean on His grace and power. God will grow and mature us through these trials.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NIV):
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Dr. Kimmel says, if we can help our children “gain perspective in the midst of confusion, worry, doubt, or pain, we’re giving them a gift.” If we can show them that we don’t always have the answers but we know who to trust with our decisions we can show them proper vulnerability in action. Kids are born with an unsophisticated set of emotions and need time and experience to grow emotionally. When they react to a sitution it is usually without the full picture in mind. They either don’t see and understand all the facts or follow their own misguided emotions the may have nothing to do with the facts. They are in a vulnerable place and we need to help them navigate these difficulties. We can do that by offering love instead of lectures, understanding instead of ignorance, and a plan instead of dismissal.
Now go forth and be vulnerable.
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