Leading by example

I saw this picture a few days ago and it has been on my mind.  I love how this woman is taking advantage of play time at a park to get in a workout, and I love how the child is trying to follow his mother’s example.

The example part is what I’ve been thinking about mostly.  As a parent, I am setting an example for my son through everything I do.  He observes me going to the gym (and using what I have at home) and making good food choices.  All of it sends a message about how much I value my physical health.  I can talk about it with him and with friends all I want but if my actions don’t match my words, what would that say?

But beyond the physical health, I’ve been thinking about the other ways I’m sending messages about what’s important to me.  When things don’t go as planned (like my flat tire and flat spare tire, or coming home from vacation to leaky pipes and smoke detectors going off, etc), he has been observing how I respond.  Even if he isn’t intentionally looking for my reaction, he notices how I handle the situations.  I am so thankful for the work God has done in me so I’ve been able to laugh and start working on solutions.  But to be honest, in the moment you don’t always think about being an example.  You just react, and how you react can be very telling.  There are times I could have had a better attitude or handled things differently, and I know that I will continue to fail from time to time going forward.  But I pray that my example somehow helps rather than hinders my son’s trust in God.

What other messages am I sending to my son through my daily life?  Again, he might not be specifically looking for clues, but he WILL notice how I spend my time and money.  Aren’t those indicators of what’s really important to me?  Does he see me spending time in the Word?  Serving others?  Does he see me giving to charities and church?  These things shouldn’t be done for show, but surely there can be some level of transparency.  Besides time and money, what jokes do I laugh at?  What scenes/images do I allow during a movie or film?  All of these send messages.

The responsibility of a parent to raise up his/her child in the way he should go can be challenging, but also a joy.  Regardless what other influences are in my son’s life, I have a responsibility for my own role and I intend do my very best with God’s guidance.