They Are Watching You

“O be careful little feet where you go.” Does anyone remember that song from Sunday School? As I was thinking about how to end out the semester, this song and the increased implications of it came to my mind. The warning in the song is because “the Father up above is looking down in love”, which is important to remember. But as moms we must also remember our children are watching us too. They are watching to see if we are doing what we say. Believe me! I will sometimes get so upset because my kids won’t clean up or can’t stop watching the TV to do something, and then I remember, I do that too. Our words are important, but so is acting on them.

This is especially true in our faith. One thing God has impressed upon my heart lately is praying for forgiveness in front of my children when I’ve sinned against them. I’m not very good at this, but God has shown me that if I want them to know how serious sin is against God I have to model it.

It’s easy to think we’re supposed to be perfect and act in a way that says to our kids I’ve got it together so you need to too. But the truth is no one has it together and your children need to see that far more than a perfect mom. They need to see that you sin, you repent and you ask for forgiveness. They need to see you go to God when you’re happy, sad, angry, frustrated, thankful. They need to see you living out your faith. I do not mean this in a Pharisaical way, but in a way where they Holy Spirit is pouring out of you in the way you live your life. This will look different for everyone as we have already talked about being who God has created us to be. So live out your life for your kids to see and know that you follow The True and Living God.

In Titus 2 the older women are told to teach the younger women “to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored” (v 4-5). The implication is so that those outside will see and want to know the Gospel, but I would argue it’s as important for us to live this way for our families as well. If we are not living this way our children will know and so the Word of God is dishonored before it ever leaves our house.

Let us, then, encourage one another to love our families and to live out our faith before our children so that they will know that Jesus is alive and true and that it is worth everything to follow Him.

How can you encourage someone today?