The Little Feet Walking In My Footsteps

Photo Credit: Eric Chan

I've heard that in the first hour of life, a newborn can be quite alert as she searches for the faces of the people she will soon call mother and father. The question I have been asking myself over the last few months is who will she see when she looks into my face? Will she see a man of integrity who stands by his values and walks out his faith day by day? Or will she see a hypocrite who says one thing and does another?

One of the things I look forward to the most about parenthood is the opportunity to teach my children, to train them up in the way they should go. They are like a blank slate ready to be written upon, a story that's never before been told. While others are searching around trying to figure out who they are, the identity of a newborn is something yet to be formed. Like writing a story, it is both a process of creation and discovery. In our hands, we are shaping a life.

Most of us are accustomed to thinking of teaching in terms of verbal instruction. That's how it's done in schools, behind the pulpit, through online articles, etc. But, that's not how children learn--not primarily, at least. They learn through watching you. Through watching me, to see who I am. They imitate what they see in us. And so, the most important question I can ask in regard to teaching my children is not what subjects I will teach or what curriculum I will use, but what example will I set for them. Will I be the person I want them to grow up to be?

I am a child of the Most High. I am created according to His will, loved unconditionally, redeemed from my faults, invited into His family, transformed into His image. I am not a FB profile or a blog. I am not defined by what I own or who I know--circumstances do not dictate who I am. I am not the sum of my mistakes, nor the totality of my accomplishments. My identity comes from my Father. In Him, I find purpose and life.

This is who I want my children to see. This is who I want them to become.