Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Fingerprints We Leave Behind...

I couldn't help but smile when I saw my son take off his boots and place them perfectly beside his father's pair. Then as we sit at the table for dinner, he closely watches his daddy and tries to follow his mannerisms in the way he uses his fork. It's becoming very apparent to me that everything I do is watched carefully and mimicked by my children.

It made me remember the Godly example my parents set forth for me, knowing that I was looking up to them for something to follow. I can safely say that I never heard one bad word come from their lips, not one indecent TV show was ever played in our home and they set forth a patience with us that could only be given by Jesus himself!

How much of that example have I taken with me to show my children? We leave imprints on our children with our actions. They examine our lives to determine their own steps… where are my steps taking them? What does the view look like from where they are standing?

One of my greatest memories is hearing my grandfather pray from his bedroom. Do my sons ever hear me pray? I hope that they see me taking the time to witness to others, instead of being ashamed. I want them to watch me as I give to our church and to those less fortunate, and being thankful for the blessings in my life… instead of squandering my money and complaining about finances, my job, our home…

Matthew 18:4 says “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child-this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Should we not be looking to Jesus just as our children look to us? If we are to humble ourselves as children... we should be trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving... have faith like a child. If  I look to Jesus and follow his every move... it will be that much easier to set forth this example with our own children.

Dear Lord, let me remember that each day, I have innocent eyes watching my steps, listening to my words and absorbing every ounce of it. Let the fingerprints that I leave behind in their lives be positive, full of you and only you.

2 comments:

  1. I loved this post- It scares me out of my mind to think of the impact I have on my little girls' lives...Its the scariest responsibility ever to be entrusted with little people and to raise them to be kind, respectful, productive members of society and above everything else love the Lord.... I'm so glad you're blogging! I've blogged for about 3 years now, but I blog more to scrapbook/journal our lives and the girls growing up, but I love doing it. :)

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    1. Hey Annie! I didn't realize you were blogging... I'll have to follow you! Really enjoying it so far.. I've always like to journal so I figured this way I might be able to bless other people instead of the book by my nightstand :)

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