Words Without Deeds: The Vice of RAISING CHILDREN

Although I wrote on this subject for the Bible Study and Marriage blogs, I feel it is pertinent to raising children too...

So many times over the years, I have seen my kids' friends crushed by the fact that their parents say one thing and do another. This totally undermines the validity of their advice.

If you are a parent, know that what you DO speaks MUCH LOUDER than what you say. You can try to instruct your child to handle problems peacefully, but if you are blowing up and over-reacting and treating them harshly, your deeds will undermine your words, and create a HUGE LOSS OF RESPECT from your children.

They are watching your every move. In her book, "Children are like wet cement," Anne Ortlund speaks about the fact that EVERY LITTLE THING makes an impression in our childrens' lives. They are watching how you treat your spouse, how you handle problems, how you act when you are pushed to the limits. They are watching if you are spending time in the Word, how you spend your money, what is important to you and how you spend your TIME, and how you relate to people that think and act differently than you.

Yes, EVERY LITTLE DEED you do becomes observed by those little eyes...

Challenge: MAKE SURE that you follow the advice in the challenge from the Bible Study blog: and that your ACTIONS prove the words you say are words you BELIEVE.