Who's Influencing Your Children?

So often we worry about the ungodliness in the outside world and how it will affect our children. So we shelter them a bit - keeping them with us at all times and being very selective about the friends they hang out with. Which is really good. We want their influences to be good and godly ones.

And yet the BIGGEST influence to our children is NOT outside influences. It is Y-O-U! And depending on how your walk is with the Lord, the ungodliness in you.

Think about it.

Is your child's lack of patience with their siblings or you a reflection of your lack of patience with them or your spouse? Is their lack of deep and abiding love of their heavenly Father a reflection of your lack of a deep and abiding relationship with the Lord?

I know of a family whose parents were very particular about their friends. Yet because they wanted to witness to those in prison, their children were constantly around convicts. Yet because of who their parents were, the children grew up emulating the parents (strong faith in the Lord, etc.).

Just some convictions I felt recently as I try to seek the Lord on bringing my children closer to Him.