Leading by Example

 Our little Hope got baptised today. I remember when I was on bedrest pregnant with her, how so many people prayed that she would be born full-term and healthy. And now, she has grown into a sweet chubby baby, ready to become a member of the church. How good God is to us.

 During the baptism, there was a question that was especially sobering for me:

"Do you promise to pray for Hope, and to set her a godly example in your actions, that, by God's grace, she may be a faithful follower of our Lord Jesus Christ all her days?"

 I remembered that we had answered that we will do this when the other children got baptised, as well. It made me conscious of how I really need to work on this. Because children learn by example, more than anything. I can tell my kids to always put their shoes back in the shoe rack when we come home, but they see me forget to do this once and then refuse to do it, pointing their fingers at me. And even if I do manage to hide my chocolate indulgences from them when they’re not looking, every time I tell them they can’t have any more sweets because it’s not good for them, I am being a hypocrite. And kids can catch on to that pretty quick, too.

 More and more I realise how hard it is to be a godly example in front of my kids who see me 24/7. But it’s also a great opportunity to really disciple my children on what Christian living looks like. Just as the Apostle Paul urged others to ‘be imitators of me’ (1 Corinthians 4:16), that’s how I can teach my children. By living out my life as a follower of Christ.

 I’ve been thinking about how I could teach my children to behave better, and now I see I’ve forgotten about the best strategy in teaching. I need to show by example. From now on, I want to be able to say to my children, “Is that what mummy does to you?”, instead of “Is that what mummy taught you?” when trying to correct wrong behaviour. And I’m going to have to start with these things:

1.     Speaking kindly.

2.     Doing my responsibilities promptly.

3.     Being thankful (not complaining).

4.     Eating healthy (eat more veggies and less sweets).

5.     Being gentle.

 It’s not going to be easy, I tell you. But it will be worth it, both for my children and myself. Lord, help me.