“Forgiveness is the ability to set the other free, while loving him to the end. Jesus’s love does not deny the truth of pain, but it does not allow evil to have the last word.”
– Pope Leo XIV
I think it’s safe to say that the more children one has and the older one gets, the laxer one’s parenting inevitably becomes. At least I can safely say that for my own parenting journey. I don’t think our oldest had her first chocolate chip cookie until she was two years old. Our youngest at two was not only eating cookies, but responsible for baking them as well. So when we received a note from school, advertising a guest speaker on social media usage and insinuating it was a command performance for parents, I rolled my eyes and changed from my sweatpants to my nice sweatpants.
I was glad I did. The speaker held our attention for a full 90 minutes with a very in-depth and helpful understanding of the digital landscape and what we as parents need to do to protect our children. While I walked away with several tips and tools, it was the presenter’s last point that has stayed with me: “Your child is a child. They will make a mistake. Give them grace and room to recover. Instill in them the belief they can recover from mistakes and you will help them every step of the way.”
While this is perennial helpful advice for my parenting, I couldn’t help but think of other dimensions of my life and leadership where I constantly need to be reminded of this simple yet profound truth. Everyone, especially leaders, will make mistakes. The ultimate test of a leader is not that everything goes right, but how to respond when things go wrong. How well do I give those I lead and love the room to recover from mistakes? While I might have high expectations for others, is my support in helping them rise to the occasion proportional? Even more so, when they fall, like all of us do, how intentional am I in not only telling them to get back up, but also in giving them the time, space, and grace to do so?
I decided that no matter if it’s my fourth kid or the fortieth person I supervise, the opportunity for others to grow and thrive shouldn’t be dictated by how tired I am but by how generously He gave. As we begin this week, let’s remember that we are fallible human beings and that the Lord always gives us room to recover.
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