What do your kids see you doing?

My 9 year old daughter just lit one of the candles I got for Mother's Day for me and after she did it, she walked over to the sink and ran the match under a little water before throwing it into the trash can. I can't say that I've ever directly told her to do that, but, she sees me do that every time I light a match...so she does it, too.

In John 5 Jesus tells us that even He only does what He sees His Father doing... 

"Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel."

Even when we don't intend to teach a lesson to our children, we're teaching our kids how to be and how to act with everything we do.

So, what are your kids learning from you? When your kids "see you doing..." what are they seeing you do?

Your child cries out at night...what do they see you doing? This is how they will respond to others who cry out to them at inconvenient times. This is how they will respond to you when you want their attention at an inconvenient time for them.

Your child is hungry and says they want food not at meal time...what do they see you doing? This is how they will respond to fulfilling the needs of others.

Your child is mad and upset and acting out...what do they see you doing? This is how they will handle others when they see they are mad or upset and behaving in an unpleasant way.

Your child breaks one of your rules...what do they see you doing? This is how they will treat others they see as breaking one of their rules.

Your child is not giving you your way (listening to you)...what do they see you doing? This is what they will do with others who are not "giving them their way" or listening to them.

Your child is in the back seat of your car while you drive...what do they see you doing? This is how they will someday drive...

Read this again...

"Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son (or your child) can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father (you) doing; for whatever the Father does (you do), these things the Son (your child) also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel."

So much goes past on Facebook's newsfeed with people insisting that if kids get more spankings they'll be less likely to end up criminals! You see things on Youtube like that dad in the cowboy hat last year publicly humiliating his daughter and shooting his daughter's computer to "teach her a lesson"...about publicly humiliating him...hmmm...

Everyone needs to realize...the way your kids are acting is showing you what lessons you are actually teaching them as they watch you. They do what they see you doing. They "are" how they see you are...

What your kids need to grow up to be loving people full of patience and kindness and self control (the fruits of the spirit) is...a parent to watch who does those things...not a parent who spanks the kids for not doing them...especially when the "not doing" those things is because the kids are actually just doing what they see the parents doing...