Two Quick Thoughts… August 1, 2008
Last Saturday morning I went to get Charisse out of bed so we could have our date day. We always begin with me bringing her downstairs (after changing her WMD diaper) for breakfast which, this past week, was Cheerios.
As I sat there encouraging her to eat (she was very playful) I began tapping my fingers on her high chair. When I did she stopped, looked at me and then began to tap her fingers.
So, I stopped tapping mine…and so did she. Then I started back…and then she started back and smiled at me.
Two thoughts immediately popped into my mind…
#1 – My little girl is trying to be like me.
Parenting carries a HUGE weight with it (especially when reading the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:6!) And…until a certain point in her life Lucretia and I are going to be THE primary influencers.
I once had a parent tell me, “One of the most humbling things about your children is that you will begin to notice things you don’t like about them as they grow up…and THEN you will realize that the reason you don’t like certain things about them is because they remind you of you!”
Whether I like this or not–I am discipling her. When I ride down the road and someone pulls out in front of me…she will take notice of how I act. When I am rude to a server in a restaurant, she will think she can be as well. If I am dishonest in front of her then I teach her it is ok to be that way when it conveniently serves her self interest. If I am passive towards my personal relationship with Jesus then that communicates to her that she can be as well.
We are entering the years where ‘Cretia and I are going to be her role models…and I seriously don’t want to screw this up!
#2 – I am called to be an imitator of my heavenly Father.
One of the verses that has always stopped me in my tracks in Ephesians 5:1. Just as Charisse has her eyes on me and wants to be more like me…I am called to “fix my eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) and become more and more like Him.
God doesn’t want to slam us with rules and regulations. He wants us to seek Him, to fully embrace who He is rather than who we want Him to be and then, as we know Him, develop a trust in Him and become more like Him.
The closer we get to God the more generous, forgiving, passionate and focused we become. When we get closer to God it forces us to take our eyes off of ourselves and place them on Him. In doing so we become less obsessed with the perception of others about us…all we want is to be like Him.
I want to be an imitator. On most days I feel as if I fall incredibly short; however, I have a 13 month old reminder running around my house! I will NEVER mess up becoming more like Him…and neither will you!