Someone is watching you every minute of every day.
Yes, you.
Every minute of every day?
Yep. Every minute. Every day.
Hey, I'm just an ordinary person. Why would anyone pay attention to me?
Trust me, they do.
Like where?
Anywhere you go. On the job. In school. In your neighborhood. Most of all, your children are watching you.
Now I know you're putting me on. My children ignore me!
Oh no they don't. They watch your every move and hear every word you speak.
I think that's a crazy idea.
Think whatever you like. It's true. Even kids who never seem to pay attention are watching, just the same. They're listening, too. Especially when you don't want them to hear you.
Okay, if that were true, why are they tracking me?
Because they're picking up clues on how to live and how to treat other people.
Give me a for instance.
All right. Let's start with these
1. Remember last week, when you lost your temper with that clerk in McDonald's? She didn't get your order quite right and you were ticked off.
Did you notice the expression on your son's face?
2. Or take last Thursday. You were just sitting down with a cup of coffee and your favorite magazine when Annie called.You knew she'd go on and on like she always does, so you told her you were just leaving for an appointment. Your daughter looked at you and rolled her eyes.
You fooled Annie, but not your daughter.
3. Then there was the day you all went shopping and you fell in love with a pricey pair of shoes you didn't really need. You told your kids, "Let's not tell Daddy about Mommy's new shoes. You know Daddy, he really doesn't care about shoes. Anybody want ice cream?"
Remember how you couldn't look your kids--or your husband--in the eye that night?
Well, yeah, but it's no big deal. Everybody does it.
Really?
Maybe not everybody, but I'm a really good person. Ask anyone.
What kind of people do you want your children to be?
Oh, I talk about that all the time. I tell them to treat other people with kindness and to tell the truth. And I tell them they should always be up-front with us and with everyone else.
I've said over and over that telling the truth is important, because we need to be able to trust them.
What if they pay more attention to what you do than what you say?
And they will. No doubt you've heard Albert Einstein's quote: "Example isn’t another way to teach, it is the only way to teach.”
We moms and dads do lots of talking and we know our children tune us out.
But they never tune out what we do.
Actions still speak louder than words
That means our watchers will keep watching, even after our children have grown into adults.
The same principle holds for youngsters. As the writer of Proverbs put it in Proverbs 20:11:
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. KJV
Does it all sound too hard? Any time it does, fall back on this comfort verse:
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. --Philippians 4:13 NKJV
Just start where you are and grow, thanking God for your "helpers" who unknowingly provide an incentive to do what's right. In the process you'll grow more and more into the person you've always wanted to be.
Learning, too,
Lenore
