Right now I have a window of opportunity. It is a brief one I know but it is an opportunity none the less. My son thinks that I am the greatest man on earth (even though Superman is now giving me a run for my money). Little Sam is learning at an alarming rate. He watches my every move. He repeats my words. Surely it won’t be long before he discovers the well kept family secret that Dad is not perfect. While it lasts, I plan on enjoying this season.
It is settling in on me now that he learns for more from what I am doing than what I am saying. I wonder if this changes when he gets older and has a better command of the English language? Will he do what I say? Or will he do what I do? Only if they match!
It is no coincidence that Jesus called His disciples to “be with Him”. He knew that the way we learn is primarily through modeling. He showed them and then they reproduced what they saw. The same is true with parenting. They will grow up to be what they see far more often than what we say. What our children take into life from us will be caught more than taught.
Have you ever said something like, “I’m never going to be like my dad/mom!” only later in life to have an epiphony that in many ways you are just like them? And the more you fight it the more you reproduce it. This has been quite sobering for me.
So I am now begining my new career as a “super model”. Look out Superman! Dad is going to try and give you a run for your money. I may not outrun speeding bullets or leap over tall buildings but I can show him Christlike character as I work to develop it. I can let him see the right way to treat a woman as I grow in love and respect for his mother. I can demonstrate for him a positive, hard-working attitude that refuses to quit when life gets tough. I can make church a fun place that he won’t abandon when he grows up. Yes it is up to me to be what I want to see in Him.
Join my wife Michelle and me this weekend for a unique learning experience called “Things are caught not taught”.
It is settling in on me now that he learns for more from what I am doing than what I am saying. I wonder if this changes when he gets older and has a better command of the English language? Will he do what I say? Or will he do what I do? Only if they match!
It is no coincidence that Jesus called His disciples to “be with Him”. He knew that the way we learn is primarily through modeling. He showed them and then they reproduced what they saw. The same is true with parenting. They will grow up to be what they see far more often than what we say. What our children take into life from us will be caught more than taught.
Have you ever said something like, “I’m never going to be like my dad/mom!” only later in life to have an epiphony that in many ways you are just like them? And the more you fight it the more you reproduce it. This has been quite sobering for me.
So I am now begining my new career as a “super model”. Look out Superman! Dad is going to try and give you a run for your money. I may not outrun speeding bullets or leap over tall buildings but I can show him Christlike character as I work to develop it. I can let him see the right way to treat a woman as I grow in love and respect for his mother. I can demonstrate for him a positive, hard-working attitude that refuses to quit when life gets tough. I can make church a fun place that he won’t abandon when he grows up. Yes it is up to me to be what I want to see in Him.
Join my wife Michelle and me this weekend for a unique learning experience called “Things are caught not taught”.
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