Children
often see astronauts as heroes and we adults see them as people born with the right
stuff.
But, even astronauts fail.
This clip
is a compilation of astronauts trying to move around on the moon. It is one
giant fall after another as they work to move in those huge suits and do it
with some semblance of coordination in a gravity environment that is very
different from earth.They are learning to walk all over again.
It is easy
for children to see a failure as being an indication of whether or not they
will ever be successful in a skill. As parents we need to watch for this attitude
and gently remind our children that failure is not the end of accomplishment; it is
the beginning of learning.
The
astronauts in the clip learned from their missteps and gradually became more adept at
walking on the moon. When we make a mistake, we can learn and move on to do
better. This is especially true when it comes to our sin failures. We cannot
make ourselves failure-free in order to get to heaven, but God wants us to live
a healthy, happy, loving, obedient life. When we sin, we can repent and our
loving God forgives us. Then He helps us
to get back up, brush off that moon dust, and learn from that failure.
Here is a
beautiful song prayer for parents. Let it remind you of God’s grace and His
willingness to bring good out of your parental missteps.