In my very short 18 years of life on Planet Earth, I've learned a thing or two as a young Padawan of these two Master Jedis.
My parents are the best. They truly are. Now I'm not just saying that because I'm their daughter and I'm biased, I'm saying it because I believe it to be 100% a truthful statement. My parents are THE best because God chose them to be MY parents.
Were we in a perfect world, unbroken by sin's curse, I would say my parents are perfect. I would be perfect. We would all be PERFECT together. Instead, because we abdicated the throne when we chose our way instead of God's way, our will over His will, we are BROKEN together. And God is making us beautiful in His time.
But part of the process of allowing God to mould us to make us beautiful, part of the sanctification process, is to realize that we are not perfect and repent when we goof up big time.
Like I said earlier, I have learned a lot from my parents. In light of my point though, I would have to say the thing that stands out the most is "There is nothing you could ever say or do that will make me/ us stop loving you. I/ we love you."
If I lied to them about eating two cookies, I always heard "There is nothing you could ever say or do that will make me/ us stop loving you. I/ we love you."
If I broke a special dish or vase on purpose, I heard "There is nothing you could ever say or do that will make me/ us stop loving you. I/ we love you."
My parents taught me what a contrite heart is supposed to look like. They taught me that discipline, when paired with love, is a GOOD thing. They taught me that there is nowhere I can go to hide myself and my sins from God. They taught me "There is nothing you could ever say or do that will make me/ us stop loving you. I/ we love you."
I still hear that sentence now, and I'm 18. The whole point is that my parents taught me the importance of making things right before God and those I sinned against. Learning that so young helped shape the way my life looks today.
And guys, I've got news for you. I am still learning how to make myself right before God because I AM NOT PERFECT. I will always be learning, right up until my last breath.
"There is nothing you could ever say or do that will make me/ us stop loving you. I/ we love you." is a sentence that carries so much weight. When I heard those words, I knew that whatever explanation came after was extra. I knew that I was still loved. As a child that was important, and it is still important now.
What about you, dear readers, what did you learn from your parents?