[Nfbk] The Power of Example

[Joey Couch]

"The Power of Example"

A young student sat at his desk, beaming as his teacher praised his
perfect score in front of the rest of the class. But when the tests
were handed back, he realized he had actually made a mistake and
didn’t truly deserve his perfect grade. He debated with himself
whether to tell the teacher or just let it go.

His conscience won out, and after class, he told the teacher. She was
so impressed with his honesty that she let him keep his A+. That
evening he told his mother of the inner battle he faced once he
realized the error. He was so proud of his perfect score that he was
tempted to remain quiet.
But then he remembered, a few months earlier, riding with his mother
as she drove back to the grocery store to return a few coins the clerk
had overpaid her by mistake. Once he remembered his mother’s act of
integrity, the battle was over, and his decision was made.1

The way you live your life is the strongest sermon you will ever
preach. Our children tend to repeat our actions whether we like it or
not, just as a mirror reflects our smallest detail. If we want to
change what we see in the mirror, our efforts are best spent not on
trying to change the mirror but on improving ourselves. It follows,
then, that if we’d like our children to be more courteous, patient, or
selfless, we must strive to make sure those qualities are clearly
visible in our own lives.

Of course children make their own choices—some of which seem to have
no clear origin in their heredity or their upbringing. But it’s also
true that the best advantage a child could ever have is the loving
example of a parent who—though imperfect—is honestly striving to model
virtuous living.
Someday someone may say to your children, “You’re just like your dad”
or “just like your mom.” And if you’ve done your best to set a good
example, it will be high praise indeed.


1.See Azriel Winnett, “When ‘Everybody Does It!’ Comes Back to Haunt
You,” http://www.hodu.com/parenting-education.shtml.


-- 
Joey Couch
phone 606-216-8033.
email ki4vjd at gmail.com
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