Pay attention to the right thing

Written By Guest User

Paying attention to what we teach


Hi families-

I was thinking recently about my own experience with "disruptions" in my life: My mom's cancer and passing, my call to ministry, 9/11, etc., and how my community helped me process those events. Some of the lessons I learned were good, and some were not. The good ones have set me up for greater success the next time a disruption comes along. The lessons I shouldn't have learned have simply caused more pain the next time I applied them.

Then I look at my own children, in this time of disruption, and reflect on what I am teaching them during this time. More than what I'm teaching them on purpose, I'm curious: What lessons are they learning just from observing how I handle this? What are my words, reactions, and attitude teaching them about how we process things that don't go the way we want them to?

  • Am I teaching them about gratitude? Do my words teach gratitude or complaining as our first response? That's step one. But the truth is, I can tell my kids that gratitude is important, but kids know to look beyond the words. Are they hearing it in my prayers? Are they seeing it in my attitude?

  • Am I teaching them to be resilient or to blame? Am I teaching them to take ownership of what I can control, or blame others for the things going wrong in my life? In my experience, focusing on what I can control and giving God the rest does far more to draw me closer to Christ than focusing on the "sins" I see in others.

  • What am I teaching them about laying down my "privileges" as Christ did? Philippians 2 teaches us that Christ "gave up his divine privileges" to express His love to the world lost in sin, and that we are to "have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." Are they watching me do this, or hold tight to what I believe is mine to hold?

  • What am I teaching them about priorities and living them out? When they grow up, our children will unconsciously form their priorities based on what they grew up with - either copying what they saw, or rejecting it. What do I rush to take care of first - people or an email? I know I tell them they're my top priority, but do I live in a way that they believe me

I'm sure there are many other things I could focus on teaching them. Blind spots I'm not aware of. What are the things you're teaching your children? How do your actions back that up?

 

Blessings,

Josh

Guest User
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