Kids say the darnest things, don’t they? Some of my favorite videos are when kids say something unexpected, but they clearly heard it from somewhere. Years ago my friend’s daughter, while ordering at a restaurant, told her “you don’t need the calories,” a line from Ice Age but with hilarious timing for the moment.
Lately there are times I walk past a mirror and see my mother, causing me to do a double take. Since having kids, I have heard myself say things my mother said, even the things I swore I would never say, but seeing myself now too?!?!
It is not just our upbringing we model but we tend to model or mimic those behaviors around us as well.
We start dressing like those we spend time with and if you have a teenage daughter you can confirm they change their language and even speaking style to those they have been around!
King David was a “man after God’s own heart.”Time and time again we see David obeying God. David certainly wasn’t perfect and made his mistakes, but he always returned to God. As his time came to an end he rather reluctantly handed over the throne to his son Solomon (never this simple in the Bible, so if you haven’t read it, you should). Solomon was also pleasing to God and was blessed with wisdom. One of his greatest acts was the Great Baby Dispute in 1 Kings 3. However, as he aged and took on more wives who were devoted to other gods, he began to change from modeled behavior to mimicking that of his wives. Solomon no longer was fully devoted to God like his father David, but now worshiping other gods (1 Kings 11).
It is hard to imagine how someone who was raised under King David, prayed for and received wisdom, and spent so much time and money building a temple for God (1 Kings 5-9) would be so easily distracted. As adults we are constantly telling our kids to watch who they hang out with. But maybe, we should be telling this to ourselves as well.
A lifetime of following God was ruined in his adulthood.
Take a moment to reflect on who you surround yourself with, who your friends are, and who you follow on social media. If you are a parent, which parents do you wish to emulate? If you are married, which couple(s) do you aspire to be?
I am fortunate enough to have my own parents who just celebrated 50 years of marriage after 5 years of dating. They were high school sweethearts, how cute is that?! The best part is they are happily married. My parent’s have modeled a great partnership over the years between parenting four kids and always being at every one of our “things,” working together on yard work together taking care of their acre property, Dad making all my mom’s wild “project” ideas come to fruition, leading youth together at church, to being the BEST grandparents to 15 grandchildren. They travel the country countless times a year to be a part of their kids and grandkids lives and they NEVER complain about it. Laughter is always a part of their daily routine.
To the couple I can only hope my husband and I emulate in another 33 years, Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary!
