In Psalm 19:14 David cries out to God in prayer, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Today I found myself asking, "When was the last time I prayed something like this? When have I taken the time to ask God to guide every word that comes from my mouth? Every thought that drifts through my mind? Every action that transpires from those thoughts?" Those of us with kids, and those of us that teach kids, constantly find ourselves telling them to watch what they say, right? "Don't say that!", "Don't talk to your brother that way?", or my personal favorite, "Watch that mouth, Mister!" We are obviously aware of the need to guide children in what is appropriate to say, and what's not. Overall, it's vital for kids to have a concept of the proper way to communicate and treat others.
But I find myself wondering what our examples teach them. You've heard the expression, "Actions speak louder than words"? So often, we focus more on what we teach them by words and forget what we teach them by actions. I don't know about you, but sometimes my actions don't match my words. Isn't it ironic when you lose your temper while telling your 13 year old to watch his temper?
Whether we like it or not, we are "walking lessons" for kids. Especially as parents, everything we do and every word we say are being filed away in their little file cabinet minds. If we attempt to teach them one thing, but do or say another, they become confused, frustrated and eventually see us as hypocrites. The significance of matching our actions, words and teaching is vital. It's more important than what they are learning at school, and also more important than what they are learning at church.
In Deuteronomy 6:7-9, God stresses the importance of following His words and teaching them to our children. He says, "Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
This means ALL the time. This means EVERYTHING. Easier said than done, right?
Our faith is a holistic aspect of our lives. It's not just something that we do on Sunday or maybe once more during the week. Teaching our kids about faith is not just something they learn in Sunday school or Good News Club. Faith is an all encompassing part of our lives and kids need to see this lived out in the lives of mom and dad.
This week, may the words of your teaching match your actions. And may the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart be acceptable in God's sight.
