“You teach what you know; but you reproduce what you are.”

I can’t remember what speaker I was listening to when I heard that axiom. It was a long time ago. But it has strongly affected my life and ministry ever since.

It affected Amon as well. But not in the way we would hope.

“Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years… He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Manasseh, had done. He followed the example of his father, worshiping the same idols his father had worshiped. He abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and he refused to follow the Lord’s ways.” – 2 Kings 21:19-22

Two phrases I want to make certain you don’t miss:

“…just as his father, Manasseh, had done.”

And,…

“He followed the example of his father,…”

Dads & Moms, the old adage, “Actions speak louder than words,” is 100% true. Be careful. Your children are watching you. Learning from you, developing their ethics, morals, convictions, priorities, the way they treat others, the way they approach work, the way they handle conflict, etc.

What you say falls on deaf ears if your “walk isn’t consistent with your behavior.

Last thing – to Dads who are reading this…

“Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” – C.S. Lewis

Your example goes a long way to showing your son what a man of God looks like. And it shows your daughter the high standard she’ll set when she begins to date and ultimately marry.

“You teach what you know; but you reproduce what you are.”

By the way, it doesn’t matter what season of life we are in as parents. Whether they’re preschool, teens, or married with children, they’re watching. And learning. I heard someone say once, “We never stop raising our kids.” I couldn’t agree more.

nw

**There are always exceptions. There are children who overcome the largely negative home environment in which they grew up, as well as children who choose to learn the hard way even though their parents have modeled a healthy and wise lifestyle.

***This principle is here being applied to parenting. But the same principle applies to discipleship. Jesus modeled for us what being a disciple looks like. He asks us to do the same for others. Is your behavior/lifestyle showing others what Jesus does – or doesn’t – look like?