{"id":1018,"date":"2012-06-14T19:00:28","date_gmt":"2012-06-14T23:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/smalltownamerica\/?p=1018"},"modified":"2012-06-09T14:13:01","modified_gmt":"2012-06-09T18:13:01","slug":"like-father-like-son","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/smalltownamerica\/2012\/06\/like-father-like-son.html","title":{"rendered":"Like Father, Like Son"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Yesterday at church, our assistant pastor was posing for pictures with his four year old son, Samuel.\u00a0 They had both dressed in matching suits, ties and shirts.\u00a0 Samuel thinks his daddy is the best thing since jelly donuts.\u00a0 It was so cute to watch him imitate every move his dad was making.\u00a0 It made me think of how we should imitate what our heavenly Father does.<\/p>\n

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery.\u00a0 People imitate what they love and respect.\u00a0 It is so obvious that Samuel loves his daddy.\u00a0 What a fine example, Pastor Randy sets; not only for his family, but also for his church family.\u00a0 Can we hope to aspire to such plains of honor and respect?\u00a0 I think we can, but most of us won’t care enough to do it.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We as people are carnel in nature and tend\u00a0try to fulfill our immediate needs, rather than being concerned at how it looks to others.\u00a0 We continually tell the children to not run and horse play in church, yet they see their parents kick boxing, wrestling and acting crazy in church.\u00a0 How will the children imitate respect for God’s House if the parents don’t give the right example?<\/p>\n

I am considered to be the strictest teacher in our children’s ministry.\u00a0 I run a tight ship and make no apologies for it.\u00a0 I believe there is no teaching going on unless the teacher is in control of the class.\u00a0 I provide many opportunities for positive motivation in the classroom.\u00a0 I give prizes for good behavior and being good listeners.\u00a0 I think I can honestly say the kids love me to pieces, and I love just as much.\u00a0 Many of the students who have moved on to other classes come back and visit me on a regular basis.\u00a0 I practically get mugged by some children when I walk in the door of the church.<\/p>\n

This does not mean that I have perfected the example thing.\u00a0 But it does prove that I work at it and the children see it in my lifestyle.\u00a0 I respect God’s house, so they want to do the same.\u00a0 Sometimes when I say something during class, I can hear them repeating it to their parents after church.\u00a0 This tells me they really are listening.<\/p>\n

Let’s all try better to imitate our Heavenly Father.\u00a0 What a change we would see.\u00a0 Children are like little sponges.\u00a0 They will absorb whatever is put in their path, be it good examples or bad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday at church, our assistant pastor was posing for pictures with his four year old son, Samuel.\u00a0 They had both dressed in matching suits, ties and shirts.\u00a0 Samuel thinks his daddy is the best thing since jelly donuts.\u00a0 It was so cute to watch him imitate every move his dad was making.\u00a0 It made me…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":420,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,14],"tags":[25,29,57],"class_list":["post-1018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-encouragement","category-inspiration","tag-children","tag-family","tag-leading-by-example"],"yoast_head":"\nLike Father, Like Son - Small Town America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/smalltownamerica\/2012\/06\/like-father-like-son.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Like Father, Like Son - 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