A Father's PathSample

A Life Worth Imitating

“Do as I say, not as I do.”

I remember hearing this phrase, and I even remember a time when I believed it.

The only problem is that it’s just plain wrong.

Most of us can pinpoint weaknesses in our own fathers. As hard as we might try to avoid it, we still often end up taking on many of their characteristics.

The reality is that life is “caught” as much as it is “taught.”

Your kids are watching, not just your decisions, but also why you made those decisions. They are watching how you spend your time and money. They are watching how you invest in your relationship with God. They are watching your willingness to be honest about your own mistakes. They are watching what you love and what you hate.

This does not mean they will do everything you do; it means your life becomes part of the foundation from which they will make their own decisions.

In 1 Corinthians 4:16, the apostle Paul urges his spiritual children to imitate him. What a great lesson this is for all fathers—to build lives so authentic and focused on loving God that we could urge our children to imitate us.

This does not mean we need to be perfect; it means we need to be humble and honest and strive in the power of the Spirit of God to become the men He has designed us to be.

Your children will imitate you—so give them something worth imitating.

Prayer: Father, help me to be a man worth imitating! Help me to live my life in such a way that my children have a strong example to follow. Amen.

Reflection: What areas of your life would be worth imitating right now? What areas might not be? What needs to change moving forward?