Even though we’re supposed to be the ones teaching them, our kids often end up teaching us a lot too, don’t they? All this month, I’ve been sharing some things my kids have taught me about faith.

In Mark 10, Jesus challenged his followers to become like little children. I’ve been thinking about this verse a lot lately, and I think there are several reasons he wanted us to imitate kids. (Click here and here to see two of the potential reasons).

What My Kids Taught Me About Faith, Part 3:

One other possible reason is because of how forgiving they are.

I remember years ago when I was potty training my oldest.

For some reason, I had it in my head that he HAD to be potty trained by a certain age.

I know now that was dumb. You can’t put an age on things like that. Every child is different.

But hey, he was my first, and I still had a lot to learn.

Our first few days went well. There  were several accidents, as I recall, but also a couple of huge successes. I remember being so proud of him and maybe even gushing on Facebook the first time he went #2 on his potty chair.

Just a couple more days, I thought, and we’ll be done with diapers for good.

My son, however, had other thoughts.

He, like most two-year-old children, did not like being told what to do.

He liked to wear the clothes he picked out, eat the food he chose, and sit on the potty only when he felt like it—not when Mommy told him it’s time.

He cooperated for the first few days (thus leading me to believe we were almost done), but then decided he was done with the potty.

That’s when the battle of wills began.

Who will hold out longer? Who will break under pressure? My son didn’t want to give in; neither did I.

Unfortunately, we both lost.

My frustration level rose and he picked up on it. He’s always been sensitive, so I should have known better.

After I realized how sad I had made him, I apologized. “Mommy was wrong. I’m sorry, Son.”

And that was it.

“It’s okay, Mommy. I fa-give you” (That’s how he used to say “forgive.” And boy, do I miss those sweet little mispronunciations!)

He wiped his tears, gave me a hug, and jumped off my lap.

A two-sentence apology was all it took for him to forgive me. No begging necessary. No need to make it up to him.

Kids know how to forgive, don’t they? They don’t make us work for it or prove our repentance. They don’t punish us with the silent treatment. 

They forgive well.

We, I’m afraid, often don’t. 

Let’s chat: we’ve talked about three reasons Jesus might have told us to become like children: transparency, trust, and forgiveness. What other things would you add to this list?