Galatians 4:31 – So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.
This may seem like a weird question, and I’ve gotten myself in trouble before trying to explain this but stick with me and I’ll try to do a better job this time. When Jesus was a little boy, let’s say He got a bike. Do you think when He got on the bike, He had no training wheels and just sped off, knew immediately how to ride it perfectly, rode to the local BMX track, did a 360, and landed the dismount perfectly?
Or do you think He’s like any other kid who learned how to ride a bike the same way you learned how to ride a bike? You start slowly, wobble, wobble, wobble, fall over, get back up and start over again.
Jesus was completely sinless throughout His entire human life on earth, but is falling over on your bike a sin or a mistake? It’s a mistake. It’s not like in 1st and 2nd Cycling there’s a verse forbidding you from falling off your bike. It’s not in the Bible like that.
Jesus had to learn many things just like children do. As Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men.” If He were to have been a BMX pro from age 5, it would’ve given away His divinity and the fact is, His identity was not known to most people until His public ministry started much later.
In the same way, when a kid spills their drink, is that a sin or a mistake? It depends on the situation. If you tell them multiple times not to push the cup over and they still do, that’s a heart issue and that’s a sin of disobedience. But if they’re carrying a cup of water from filling it up and it slips out of their hands, that’s a mistake, and not cause for punishment.
In a law-based home, you have to do everything perfectly. What I would say is that it’s ok to be human, even for a kid. We all make mistakes. We all learn as we go. We should definitely discipline a child for a sin, but not for a mistake. Creating this difference in your household can be life changing and I pray that it opens up a window of opportunity allowing kids to be kids with more grace in the home.
If you’re a parent, pray for the ability to see sins and mistakes differently in the lives of your children. Or, for those of you who are not yet parents, pray to see this difference in the lives of your friends or loved ones.
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