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• Fathers, do something for your kids today
  Posted by anonymous on 10/09/08

  The problem

  Have you ever seen your son copy the things you do? They will copy you, sometimes unconsciously - good or bad. Any faults that you have can get magnified by them. But you can't choose for them which bits to copy and which bits to ignore (i.e. those bits you haven't quite got right yet).

  This means they will grow up to be quite like you. Truly the sins of the fathers will be borne by the sons (Exodus, 20:5 & 34:6-7, Deuteronomy 5:9).

  So do you have to be more perfect than perfect to prevent this? Do you have to be so totally amazingly good in all respects that there is nothing bad for them to copy from you?

  Only Jesus is totally good: you just can't approach that standard.

  The solution

  No you don't have to be perfect. The solution is really easy.

  You don't want the unrealistic expectation that your son should be perfect do you? But do you want your son to value and seek that perfection? Then, God willing, they will approach that perfection a little better than you did.

  So what they should copy from you is the willingness, and habit to value and seek that perfection.

  You need to follow Jesus in His steps. And your son will follow in your steps too, and so doing will be following Jesus.

  So every day, in every situation, ask yourself "What would Jesus do". But more than that - show your son that, even though you fail occasionally (or maybe often...), you are honestly and truly seeking Jesus.

  Teach your children to ask what would Jesus do and, having discerned the answer, to follow it even if it is seemingly detremental to themselves. Teach by doing. Then you will have truly done something worthwhile in this world.