GRACE IN GROWTH

ENCOURAGEMENT"Let your work be manifest to your servants, andyour glorious power to their children. Let thefavor of the Lord our God be upon us, andprosper for us the work of our hands— Oprosper the work of our hands!" -Psalm 90:16-17This psalm is one that shows the juxtapositionof death and affliction with rebirth andflourishing. It's about trying to understand God'sfeelings towards people when it seems lessthan merciful. At the end, the psalmist asks Godto give them power to keep working andpersevering- for both them and their children.We are living in the space in between the lifeand death of normalcy, and rebirth into whatcould be a new interconnectedness to eachother- give yourself grace to explore whatparenting looks like in what will be a new kindof world, and begin to exercise trust in the Onewho has stayed with us throughout struggles.

PRAYERMerciful God, we pray that you inspire us totrust in you more. Help us to live into theresurrection by finding new ways of beingparents and supporting and loving others whoneed it. Let be transform the world into thekingdom you envision. In Jesus' name, Amen!

ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCESPainting with flowers. As petals start to fallfrom trees, collect them with your little one.Then dip them in washable paint and guidethem to print with the parts of the flowersand leaves you find. Teach them how wecan use the things that are seemingly dyingto create something new and beautiful. Fruit washing. Take a few differentmaterials with different textures (atoothbrush, a cloth, a napkin, etc.), a smallbin of water, and a fruit (real or plastic) andteach your little one how to wash it. Explainthat we have to clean our fruit before we eatit to stay safe. Babies love water play, andwill also learn about hygiene!

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A RESURRECTED HOMEThis Easter has certainly has been different from the rest. Without travel and large family dinners, we are reminded that ourbiggest supporters, the people we love, are far from us. Ourhearts as parents have been breaking for our children, andmaybe even in some ways for ourselves. With kids ages newbornto 2, there are so many milestones and memories we lookforward to reaching and creating. It’s a short amount of timewhere we get to experience things with our young ones, andoftentimes we want family and friends to be a part of that, andthat’s simply not a reality right now. Add to that the challengesthat might come with job changes, financial insecurity, orstrained relationships at home, and we have a recipe for pure,unadulterated grief.This Easter has affected us in a whole new way. We know in ourfaith story that Jesus dies, and is resurrected, visits his disciples,and then ascends— and promises us life with him for eternity. We celebrate this story every year. But how do we live into that storynow? The truth is that while we are the ones that are feeling thegrief or loss of shared moments and milestones in a pandemicatmosphere, the truth is our children are new to the world. Theyhave nothing to compare their new lives to, so in a way, how welive into the resurrection, despite the circumstances, is whatmakes the world good to them. Whether you find yourself trying to work from home or whetheryou are on the front-lines– know that your efforts for others andfor your family have meaning. We are taking a step into a newearth and a new normalcy that will critique the ways we buy, theways we treat the earth, and the ways we treat each other. Whilewe feel worry for our young children, we are also in a time wherewe are able now to make decisions about what is truly importantbased on these changes. If we let the resurrection guide ourdecisions, we can become less attached to the way things usedto be, and create new ways of trusting in God's promises for us.It’s time to start asking ourselves: What things can I control? What does a resurrected normal look like for our families? Howcan trusting in Jesus shape our approach to parenting?

A monthly newsletter for parents of chi ldren age 0-2

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