What is so fascinating about babies is that they are such good mimics. Who doesn’t’ remember being entertained by a baby’s response to everything that you do. It elicits such joy. They then become toddlers, gain their voice, and become little parrots, repeating whatever you say. By the time they are teens, their verbal and non-verbal behaviors aren’t so charming anymore. Rudeness, disrespect, disobedience, and sassiness make us wonder where our adorable little child went. We only need to look backward to see where the negative influence entered. If you spend even a few minutes watching television and movies, you will realize how developmentally negative the messages are. They bombard us with bad language, immoral behavior, clothing ads that sells more than clothes, and so on. If all these bad behaviors/influences were those of an aunt or uncle, would you be inviting them over frequently to spend time with your children? ...with yourself? Then why would you invite such negative behavior in via the media ...or via friends?
In addition, we mustn’t neglect to look at ourselves. Do we monitor what our child/children is/are exposed to? Are we preserving the purity of their minds, hearts, and bodies? Are we mirroring the kind of person that we want them to become? Are we the most positive influence in their life?
We are all called to holiness. Take a moment to think about that. How can we help our family grow in holiness? What do we need to change?
This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality; For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. 1Thes 4:3; 4:7
Take a baby-step and write down 3 things that will move your family in the right direction. Then pray for your family, as a family, or with other families for the courage to implement your 3 steps. If you are childless or have children who no longer live at home, become a much-needed mirror of holiness in the world, for the world.
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
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