Imitate Me, Part 2
I always thought my parents were sinless. Now don’t get me wrong. I knew intellectually that they had sinned, but they kept their individual sins hidden from me and never talked about how those sins impacted their life. Reflecting on that got me thinking. Do I do the same thing? Am I appropriately transparent to my kids about my failings and struggles? Or, do I fall into the same trap?
I am convinced that I need to admit my relational failings with my kids. When I blow up and go off on my daughter, I need to allow that experience to both humble me and motivate me to ask for forgiveness. When I don’t, I subconsciously let my kids think that behaving poorly is okay in the family setting. Would I yell at my boss and figure it’s fine because he will understand I was just having a bad day? No, I need to go back to him and make it right, just like I need to go to my daughter and make it right too.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” By imitating that truth in our families, we start to change the course of potential discipleship with our kids. By our humble, confessing attitudes, we communicate to our children that we live the truth of the Bible, not only in public, but also in the privacy of our homes. Transparency may be hard, but the rewards we gain will have lasting results.
Pastor Mark
