I’ve been reading a book for some time now about parenting. It’s entitled Nurturing the Leader Within Your Child by Dr. Tim Elmore. This book is loaded with valuable information. As I take it all in, I am becoming more and more excited about my role as a mother. At the same time, I have a healthy respect for all that I am called to do in the lives of my sons.
One of the things Dr. Elmore said in his book is: We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.
I know, right?
If that statement doesn’t strike something in our hearts as parents then I would gather we aren’t really breathing.
I won’t lie to you and act like I don’t care what people think about me. I do care. But, what is going on inside me is that I care more about what my son’s think of me. Someone may think I’m a great person or writer or friend, but if these little men in my life don’t think I’m the real deal, a Christ following mom, then I have not succeeded.
We reproduce what we are.
I will follow Christ.
My prayer is that seeing me do so will lead them to do so.
What are your reproducing in your children?
I hope I’m reproducing Christ-followers. ANd, I’m letting Christ refine me more and more, so I don’t reproduce the ugly parts in me.
You ARE the real deal, CB!! And doing a great job of reproducing that in your little men.
This is good stuff. I want to read it now=)
I pray that my boys become men like there daddy.
I know there are times that I am not as polite and respectful to my child as I should be. Lord know I need some serious work in this area. I have a sweet little bou who is learning the ropes of this world and he is learning from me. Thanks for this post. Gives me a lot to think and pray about.
I think I’m going to write that on my bathroom mirror. Yowzer that is a good quote!
We reproduce what we are.
That is one of the more powerful sentences I’ve read this week. Reading it really made me think – who am I reproducing my daughter to be? I can’t control what she is being bombarded with at her daddy’s house, and his choices. BUT I can control what goes on when she’s with me. This sentence makes me sad but also makes me have another awareness of me as a mommy for her.
[...] Cindy again, with another great post – my favorite line: “We reproduce what we are.” WOW! We can’t fake it [...]