If your kids follow your example, what kind of life will they have?

• By candidasullivan
• May 3, 2024
• No Comments

When my youngest was in elementary school, he told his teacher he had to care for his mom. He told her I was sick and old and in bed a lot. 

We laughed it off as just one of those things kids say, but a little stab of pain hit me at his accuracy. I was in bed a lot. I was sick. And I felt really old at times. 

Our circumstances will knock us all down sometimes. But just because we are victims of our circumstances doesn’t mean we have to be victims of our lives. 

We can draw a line in the sand today and decide we will no longer accept our behavior. We can get up and decide to overcome whatever is troubling us. We can cling to the scripture in Philippians 4:13 that tells us we can do ALL things through Christ, which strengthens us. 

Later, as I was fighting so hard to get better and struggling with everything in me, my kids watched me struggle to walk to the bathroom. My husband wanted to carry me, but I refused. And my son said, I always wondered what it meant to fight like a girl when I saw the quote. Now I know. 

That was a defining moment for me. I knew my kids were watching me, and I would one day influence how they handled their own problems. 

Our kids need to see us overcome our struggles. We must teach them by how we live our lives. 

I learned that it’s not what we say but what we do that truly matters. Instead of hiding our pain and challenges, we need to normalize the fact that everyone has them. 

We can tell our kids all day long to live their best lives and follow their dreams, but the true power is when we show them. 

God brought me to my knees one day when He asked me a simple question: If your kids follow your example, what kind of life will they have?

That’s the day when I knew it wasn’t just about me. If my kids follow me and my examples, I want to ensure I’m teaching them the best way and leading them to the Lord. 

I want to show them that if we work hard and follow the Lord, He will make our impossible dreams possible. I want to touch as many lives as possible with my gifts from the Lord. I want to leave a legacy of helping others and loving the Lord. 

So, I’m still working to be a positive example for them. I don’t want to set my children up for even more hardship. I realize that if I don’t learn to overcome my struggles, I will give them to my children. Instead of numbing myself and ignoring my problems, I’m learning to face and overcome them. And let them see me do it. 

Have a beautiful day!