Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
Week 7: Chapter 6 — Sacred Sacrifice: How Parenting Teaches Us to Give
Read Chapter 6 of Sacred Parenting by Gary L. Thomas.
Previewing Week 7 of Sacred Parenting
Read 3 of 6 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
No other relationship in most people's lives demands quite the sustained, unglamorous, unreciprocated giving that parenting does — and Thomas argues this is precisely why it is such fertile ground for spiritual transformation.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Thomas uses the language of sacrifice throughout this chapter — not dramatic sacrifice, but the daily, repeated giving of time, energy, money, sleep, and personal ambition. Which of these 'ordinary sacrifices' has cost you the most?
2.He distinguishes between sacrifice that is resented and sacrifice that is freely given. What makes the difference? Have you experienced both in your parenting life?
3.Thomas points to the way parenting strips away our attachment to comfort, convenience, and control — and suggests this stripping is a form of grace. Has there been a season of parenting that felt like it was 'stripping' something away from you? What was it, and what did you find underneath?
a.Was there a specific idol — an attachment to reputation, ease, or autonomy — that parenting exposed?
b.What did you gain in exchange for what was taken?