As a parent, how do you know exactly the right time to extend grace?

Hi, I’m Mark Gregston … with Parenting Today’s Teens.

I recently worked with a teen who rarely received grace at home. He spewed anger on everyone and everything around him … including the side of my van. But instead of having him arrested for bashing my vehicle with a baseball bat … I told him that he was forgiven, that he wouldn’t be arrested, and that we were going to work things out differently from now on.

As we talked, I saw tears come to his eyes. He had never experienced that kind of forgiveness. And giving him grace at just the right moment went a long way to change the direction he was headed.

Remember … giving grace is most often needed the moment when it’s least deserved.