Children are imitators - Lisa Clark

You know it’s true. Just say a word you don’t want a 3-year-old saying, and you’ll hear him say it so fast your head spins. And your heart will drop. Children are imitators.

In Deuteronomy, we read that we (the parents, home, family) are our children’s primary teaching environment. Makes sense, doesn’t it? They wake up with us, eat with us, walk around with us, we put them to sleep, we are with them most of the time (whether we like it or not!:)) Here’s the scripture:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  Then thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.  And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

So knowing we are the teachers, and children are imitators, we have to be on our game. We want to model Christ-like character and exhibit the fruits of His Spirit in our lives. But we are sinners, raising sinners. It’s hard to be on our game 24/7. What about the days when we fall flat on our face? Do we throw in the towel and admit we have failed at parenting???

Nope. Repent. Ask God for forgiveness, and help. Then admit to your child that you messed up, will mess up and need Jesus more every day. When we admit our need for Jesus to continue to help us grow in our faith and walk, that lets our children know that faith is an action word. We’re constantly “working out our salvation.” (Philippians 2:12) We’re growing.

As long as we are covered in SKIN we will SIN. But if our heart is for the Lord, we will live with a heart of repentance, longing to please the Lord and walk with Him every day. Some of the sweetest conversations I had with my children were convos about how mom messed up and needed forgiveness and grace…again!

Children are imitators. You’re a sinner raising a sinner. You need Jesus. You need grace. You need forgiveness. And so does your child.

Lisa Clark
Sky Ranch Parenting Mentor

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