“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2
Our children and young people around us are watching. They watch what we do, what we say, how we treat others, and how we show the love of Christ.
Anyone who has ever spent time around children has probably noticed how, over time, they start to use the same expressions as us. Even in how we respond to things, they can pick up on our behaviour and, soon enough, they sound like a miniature version of ourselves. The thought of this can be a bit worrisome but also encouraging because it helps us keep ourselves and our words in check.
The question I felt the Holy Spirit ask me was, what do you wish for your children to look like – do you want them to look more like Jesus?
We have to be careful – they are watching. Show them how to be doers and not just hearers of the word. Show them what it means to love others and how to put others before themselves. Show them how to respond when conflicts come their way by being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. We learn to do this when we study God’s word and allow it to transform us so that we, too, are imitators of our Heavenly Father and have a true relationship with him.
Ephesians 5:1-2 teaches us how to walk in love. When we walk in love, we show others with our words and actions how to imitate the qualities of Jesus and how to love others – within our own homes – and how we speak to one another. We also need to show the same love to those outside of our home, and it is important to remember that people should be able to tell from our conduct that we are followers of Jesus.
Children can easily imitate us and learn to form opinions of others based on our views. Ephesians 4:27 says, “and give no opportunity to the devil.” If we are speaking or acting in a way that does not glorify God, it opens up a door for the enemy. Our children may not be spiritually mature enough to realize how much influence the enemy can have on their lives, so let’s be doers of the word and not just hearers. As Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Our children are listening.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for our sins. When He suffered for us, He left us an example so we might follow in His steps. He committed no sin; neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to You. Father, we want to be more like Jesus. I submit my life to Your will. Help me to follow your leading, and I pray that others will see Jesus in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
