Becoming A Model Parent

Becoming A Model Parent “Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” Proverbs 4:10-11 What influences your children more than anything? Is it the outside influences such as television, music, friends, sports or all the other things that occupy so much of their time? These are certainly influences, but the parents are the most powerful influence in our children’s lives. Children model their parents behavior and actions and their responses to life situations. Our children are watching us for clues on how to live their lives, and our views of God will reflect in their lives. God trusts us to nurture them, love them, guide them and mold them into the kind of people they need to become. God only gives us our children for a short time, and then we release them to pursue their destiny as children of God. God knows all about our children, and has a plan for them, and when we turn them over to Him, we need to have established the foundation for them that God can build on and complete His plan for their lives. God has put the responsibility on us to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him. Sure, we are going to make mistakes along the way and our children will see these mistakes, but they will also learn from these mistakes as well. They should see God at work in our lives correcting these mistakes. We are all a work in progress, and we allow our children to watch God minister through us and correct our defects and flaws. Although they will see our defects and flaws they should also see our desire to love and serve God. They will see the power of God when troubles attacks the family and see how God can intervene and deliver us from our troubles. The real truth is that our children hammer out their own view of God by watching their own parents, and modeling themselves after them. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven October 11