You model...they mirror

 

 Hi and Happy Thursday!

Today Deuteronomy 6:6-7

"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."

Now, when I first read this I was a little thrown off by the language.   The "shalt" and the "st" words.   But, I dug a little deeper and looked up who wrote this and what was going on and what it can teach me now.

* Fifth book of the bible

* Moses wrote it

* Moses was talking to a "new generation". (that sounds familiar...guess it always will...even when you are older and saying 'these kids today'"

* He was giving a passionate speech to them and he encourage the people to love God and to let others see Him in them.

Take away:

What you model...those watching you will mirror. The good and the bad.   This could be your kids, your students, your friends, your significant other. 

They don't just hear what you say...they watch how you live.

They see if you open your Bible...or if it just sits nicely on a side table.

They notice if you pray.   Or if you just panic or call a friend to complain about whatever is going on that is causing you stress.

They learn how to respond to stress by watching how you handle it.  

They pick up your tone, your habits, your priorities without you ever saying a word.

So if you don't like what you're seeing in your kids, your students, your friends, your significant other...press pause and ask:  Where did they learn that.  Look in the mirror and make sure it wasn't instilled in them by you.

You don't need a perfect routine of spending time with God or a "set" number of minutes etc.   You just need to be real and have a real walk with Him.

I hope this encourages you to look at your life and make sure we are shining His light when we get up, during our day and when we lay down at night. 

Comment below if you want.