Mirroring Who You Are
The other day, Dan and I were getting Mazy all bundled up to head outside. Boots, snowpants, gloves, winter coat, hat, everything. As Mazy waited patiently for Dan and I to get our winter gear on as well, she looked up at her daddy and says “daddy outside too!”
For some reason, that phrase just caught us off guard. First of all, she was excited that not just mommy, but DADDY was coming outside (which by the way, he does all the time; it was nothing new). Second, the thing that caught us the most was the fact that she put 3 words together in a clear sentence structure. She truly listens to every word she says.
As a parent, I do not always stop and think about the impact we have. Truly our kids learn EVERYTHING from us. Their language, their movements, their responses, and to some extent, their attitudes. Everything. Even facial expressions.
How humbling it is, that the God of the universe, the very God that created us, allows us the freedom to raise our children. Raise them in the way we see is best, according to His will and desires. Everyday, He graciously gives us the opportunity to teach our children, love our children, and teach them what a Christ-like life looks like. A gift He could have chosen not to give us. A gift that any day, He could say “oh wait, let me take over,” but he chooses not to. Everyday we have the opportunity to mirror HIS image so that our kids can mirror ours.
Don’t get me wrong. Our home isn’t always filled with these moments. We have screaming meltdowns in our home. We have a timeout chair. A timeout chair that Mazy has sat in 3 times in a row because she just was not getting the point. Third time is a charm, right? And yes, she finally got my drift. She throws temper tantrums and throws herself on the floor. We too, are navigating the parenting road.
But I think it is easy to lose perspective. It is easy to forget that our children are watching us. They are watching our every move. Their little eyes, minds, and bodies soak in everything about who we are. They are listening, watching, and repeating. What a humbling task in life that keeps us on our toes, but also has us falling on our knees before God, asking for guidance and grace.
The next time you wonder if you are making a difference in your child’s life, just stand back, watch, and listen. You just might see a little reflection of yourself.
What have you witnessed your child doing and realized that it was a mirrored image of what YOU do?
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