The Real Deal

The preacher’s 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why. “Well, Honey,” he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. “I’m asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.” “So, how come He doesn’t?” she asked.

Ouch! Children don’t miss a thing, do they? They observe and take notes of what is going on around them even when we think they’re oblivious.

Young parents that have accepted Christ as their Savior have a desire to be an example that their children can follow. We know that we should let our children see us reading the Bible, praying, depending on God, attending church, and serving the Lord. But why so? I thought when my daughters were home that I was helping them do what I was doing. Perhaps so, but they were also under my roof, and pretty much had to do those things. We set aside time for daily devotions, we prayed as a family, we attended church together and when we served the Lord, we did it as a family.

I didn’t really understand it at the time, but all along, my girls were watching me closely. They were seeing things I didn’t realize they were seeing. They saw my motives; they understood when I did it out of a heart for God, and when I did it in my flesh. They may not have registered all of that when they were small, but now that they’re out of our home, they’re putting the pieces together. They’re connecting what I did with why I did it. Now is the time that the reaping comes; when they continue to follow the Lord. This is when I will know if I’ve passed on to them the real stuff of life – a daily relationship with their Savior that touches every aspect of their lives.

Let me encourage you young moms – be an example and let your children see you doing the right things with the right motives, and do it consistently. They won’t really “get it” until they’re grown. It will click and they will step back and evaluate what they’ve been observing all through the years. Be faithful and be real. Remember – you can’t fool a child!

Under His feathers,