I'm going to be talking about another type of modeling. This is the definition of "to model" that I am going to be talking about today:"a standard to be imitated". Example, "she was my model for good scholarship"
Monica and I were very blessed to get some time off to spend with our family in Iowa over the last 10 days or so. My oldest daughter had her second child, a daughter. They named her Alissa Ann.
She is our beautiful baby grand-daughter and she is doing really well. My daughter also has a son, Urijah Daniel, who will turn 2 years old on Saturday. These are the many faces of Urijah.
Monica and I got the blessing of being able to sleep in the same bedroom as Urijah. Us with a Queen bed and a little toddler bed for Urijah. Every morning between 5:15am and 6:30am, Urijah would wake up. He would squirm and snort and humm at first and then he would begin to play in his bed. He would be tapping a toy on the wall, talking to himself, which was more like jabbering, etc.There was no way Nanna or Papa were going to get anymore sleep. As soon as he could hear us whisper to each other, or slightly pick our heads up to see what he was doing, there would be an immediate, high pitched, squealing, response from Uirjah: "Hi!", "Hi!", "Nanna, Papa!" "Hi!""Hiiii!!! Every time, every morning. First response, always the same. Always with a high pitch and always with excitement.He would proceed to get out of his bed and climb into the bed with us. No going back to sleep....it's time to get up!!!! Yayyyyy!
I was talking to Monica about our trip and how much joy there was in hearing such excitement coming from your grandson in the mornings. But then she reminded me of how over the past two years, whenever we have been there to visit, anytime my daughter Larissa would come home from work, she would greet Urijah with the same response: "Hiiiiiii", "Hi Urijah!!!" "Hi bud!". What was she doing when she did this? She was "modeling, a standard to be imitated." Not only was she doing this, but we also witnessed our son-in-law Brian doing the same thing, in the same manner, when he would come home from work. They were both "modeling" the excitement of a simple greeting. And yet, showing a little boy, how to greet someone and to be excited and happy to greet them. Wow. What a difference a simple greeting can make. What a difference this little boy, who is not even two years old yet, has now learned, by greeting someone he loves with joy and excitement.
Did my daughter spend time "teaching" Urijah the proper way to greet his grand-parents in the morning? No. She "modeled" it. There are many things that she is "teaching" Urijah all of the time, but there are also things that are being modeled, which are then "caught" and not "taught".
What are the things that your children and grand-children are "catching" from you? No, I'm not talking about a cold or some infectious disease. What are you "modeling" for them? What is the "standard to be imitated" that you are setting as an example?
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:11 "Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ."
Hebrews 13:7 says, "Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith."
3 John 1:11 says, "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God."
Let's continue to pay attention to what we are "modeling", setting a standard to be imitated. Let it be that of Christ and Christ alone for our children and grand-children
.
No comments:
Post a Comment