“…and anyone who welcomes a
little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of
these little ones who trust in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you
to have a large stone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the
sea…” Matthew 18:5-6 NLT
Being the father of five it was not un-common to witness my
children acting out from time to time…there were occasional moments when one of
them would act-out, or throw a temper
tantrum; nothing abnormal.
Now let me confess, I do not proclaim to have been the model
dad. I say this because my temperament wasn’t always one of calm and
tranquility. It became very apparent to me that my children were not so much
acting out, but imitating what they witnessed in their dad.
Think about this; an actor/actress is a person who takes on
a character roll, and in many cases the roles that they play are designed to
imitate the lives of others. As actors and actresses go, they take instruction
from directors. In the same manner, a child’s behavior is often directed by
their parents in what they witness from us.
I can’t tell you how it pains me when I hear a young mother
cursing her infant children, or when I visually witness them slinging the child
around like a rag doll. It hurts when I know of absentee fathers; and in the
few cases where there is a dad he too is setting a wrong example by using foul
language, smoking blunts, or drinking in the presence of their children.
The word of God teaches; “Direct
your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave
it…” (Proverbs 22:6 NLT)
Today’s culture has produced parents who take no thought of
how harmful their own actions are to the future of their children. Mothers
neglect the needs of their child to fulfill the needs of a man who really has
no plans to be a husband to them or a father to their child…
Court files are stacked up to the ceiling because dead-beat dads
refuse to live up to their responsibility. Negative
examples produce negative results.
When moms and dads demonstrate wrong behavior in the
presence of their children without concern for how they are affected, they direct these little ones to follow in
their footsteps and produce the exact same behavior.
How you parent your children can have a perpetual effect
that either corrupts or blesses your family for generations to come. Fathers
who neglect to properly demonstrate godly behavior before their children will
ultimately provoke them to wrath. The mother who improperly nurtures and fails
to instruct their young daughters send them looking for love in all the wrong
places. When foolishness rises in the heart of a child, it is the parents’ duty
to correct them and drive the thought far from them. (Ref. Proverbs 22:15)
We live in an era when children do what they witness from
adults. The dad who wears his jeans low to the ground can expect the same from
the son he raises; likewise, the mom who wears her skirts above her thighs and
blouses cut very low is setting the tone for her daughter.
Every parent who refuses to properly raise-up their
children, directs them to commit sin….By the same token, every adult who sets a
bad example does likewise. “Grown-ups,
Get Ready For Your Close-up”
The Lord of host is in the editing room…so, “Lights, Camera…Act Out!”
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