As a parent I know that there are a lot of things that I simply don’t know. I’m not the best dad in the world. I make more mistakes in this whole parenting journey than most people. I lose my temper. I raise my voice. I get upset and sometimes downright angry.

I’ve tried reading books about parenting but I just get lost in the middle of them. They are full of rules and multiple steps. So I set out to determine what’s the one thing that I could teach my children that would have a lasting impact. Something that could change their lives. That one thing is you’re not perfect and that’s ok.

For those who know me you’re probably wondering why it’s not something biblical or faith-based. It’s my personal belief that we really need to come to grips with who we are before we can come to grips with who God is. In a sense it’s the realization that we are human and God is, well God. We’re bound by space and time but he’s not. We’re capable of doing great things but we’re also known to fail from time to time.

True I don’t sit down with my children and tell them to fail. I don’t encourage mediocre behavior or anything of the sort. I encourage them to strive to do the best they possibly can in every area of their lives, but I also let them know that some things just aren’t in their wheelhouse. One of my children loves basketball but the other doesn’t and that’s fine. Personally I can’t make a basket to save my life and luckily I don’t have to! But what I do know is there are certain things I’m able to do, and I’ll do them with everything I have in me.

As parents, or leaders of young people, we need to let them know it’s ok to fail. It’s ok to make a mistake as long as we’re learning and growing from it. It’s ok to be imperfect. It’s our job to help them realize that their failures are building blocks that will shape them in the future. This is also a great time to share with children the need for someone who is perfect. It’s in just those imperfect moments that we are best suited to see our need for a God who is perfect in every way. We can teach them about forgiveness for the times when our failures hurt others and how Jesus gives us that same forgiveness and love.

So the one thing our children need to hear from us that they are human and that’s exactly what God wants them to be. It’s in our failures that we see the true power and love of God.