by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
“Do as I say, not
as I do.”
“What use is it,
my brethren, if a man says he has faith,
Talk is cheap. When we make demands of our children that
we do not measure up to, it is more than cheap, it is counterproductive. They
see right through us. When we make mistakes (and we all do), we need to humbly
admit it to them, and pledge to do better in the future. It cannot be hid.
The example that we provide, whether of humility or pride, speaks louder than
any words we can utter. Someday your child will come to you with a confession,
but not unless you are willing to confess your shortcomings. Honesty, with
love.
A man once complained that his daughter always went to
Aunt Jane with all her problems. Aunt Jane had been through several husbands,
and was an alcoholic. Did she want to become like her Aunt Jane? Another man
responded that he had told his son of the time when he was young and played
with matches; he burnt their house down. “Once I told him about that, he
realized that I had made mistakes of my own, probably no worse than he could
ever make.” It is not what we have done as much as our willingness to provide
an example of humility. Aunt Jane did not have to; the daughter knew that she
would not be judgmental. You will turn around one of these days and realize:
“he’s grown up just like me ... he’s grown up just like me.”