I want my children to use gentle words.
I want them to pick up their things.
I want them to be grateful.
I want them to be kind and think of others before themselves.
I want them to use their gifts to serve others for God’s glory.
I want them to seek God in prayer and through His word.
But am I doing these things? Am I modeling gentle words? Do I always pick up everything I get out? Do I complain more than I verbalize thankfulness? Am I selfish with my time and gifts?
“Not in what we say and teach, but in what we are and do, lies the power of training. Not as we think as an ideal for which to train our children, but as we live do we train them. It is not our wishes or our theory, but our will and our practice that really train. It is by living the Christ-life that we prove that we love it, that we have it; and thus we influence the young mind to love it and to have it too.” Andrew Murray from “How to Raise Your Children For Christ” |
If I want my children to go upstairs to get ready for bed, I need to head up the stairs first.
If I want my children to sit at the table for dinner, I need to sit down at the table.
If I want my children to display kindness, I need to be kind to others.
If I want my children to have relationships with God, I need to make time to meet with Him myself.
If I want my children to serve, I need to serve in all circumstances
What do you want for your children? Who do you want them to become?
Be the “who” you want them to be! Lead from the front!
linking up today on http://somegirlswebsite.com/ for “Thought-Provoking Thursday”. Check out some other thought provoking posts.
Thanks for these reminders. I think it doesn’t stop when they are teens. So important to keep leading, not just with our words but by how we spend our time and what we do.
Aren’t we glad that Jesus is the ultimate leader for us? He shows us daily how to walk in His ways. Yay!
Very good post.. Trying each day to leave footprints that I know one day my children will follow.. Just as Jesus did for us!
I whole-heartedly agree with this. I hear a lot of parents complaining about how bad their kids are and I often wonder if it’s because of what they see/hear at home. Great post! Stumbling!