Today’s Bible Journaling was taken from the TCT devotional, “Just for Today”, and focuses on II Chronicles 26:4, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all his father Amaziah did.” Uzziah became king at the young age of 16 when his father, the king, died. I find it amazing that a 16-year-old boy could have enough wisdom to rule a country. But then, when we read the whole story of Uzziah, we find that he had a good upbringing. His father, Amaziah, taught him the ways of the Lord. Looking back in chapter 25, we find that Amaziah also did what was right in the sight of the Lord, however; verse two says that he did not do it with a perfect heart. That means he made mistakes.
So, the take away I get is, we can follow God’s ways, but we’re not always going to be perfect, so it was, I’m sure, in raising Uzziah. Amaziah raised his son in the ways of God, but he wasn’t perfect. The devotional talked about living your example before your kids, not just speaking it. The old adage, “Do as I say, not as I do”, doesn’t work. Kids will model what you do before they model what you say. I can relate to this. I have no children, but my father was very strict. Kids were to be seen and not heard, we had no opinion on anything, and he would tell us in no uncertain terms what we were supposed to do. However, in some areas, what he said and what he displayed in action were polar opposites. I have become an awful lot like my Dad, and I work as hard as I can to fix the parts I don’t like.
My first husband and I were not able to have a family, so I have no experience raising kids, but I have observed a lot by watching other parents. I now am married again and have step-children and grandchildren, for which I am eternally grateful to God! They are the light of my life! I love them like they were my own. Actions speak louder than words, and when we say one thing and do another, our kids become either confused, or they decide that if we can’t follow our own advice, it’s not worth listening to.
I have seen parents yell and scream at their kids when they misbehave, and then when their kids act out in anger in the same way, they discipline them. This was my upbringing and I learned to be afraid of my Dad. When a parent reacts like this, the child comes to the point where they lose respect for the parent. I know for me when I get angry or need to discipline; my first reaction is to yell and spank. I have to fight with that. I have learned in dealing with my grandkids, a soft answer does a whole a lot better. When I get down to their level and whisper in their ear or speak to them face to face, they are more willing to listen to me.
Modeling Godly behavior before your kids isn’t easy because we are human, and we make mistakes. They see everything we do, and they are little copycats. This is where we must come to the point where everything we do and say is first brought before the Lord. Ask for His guidance in raising our kids, search the Scriptures for guidelines in disciplining. I think that sometimes when we follow Scriptural principles, we have a tendency to try to be perfect at it and follow the letter of the law. But, God doesn’t expect perfection from us, and we should not expect perfection from ourselves or our kids either.
Spanking is a prime example. The saying, “Spare the rod and spoil the child” is not in the Bible, however; Psalm 13:24 says, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. (KJV) Some people think that means beating a child within an inch of their life…and that isn’t what the Bible is saying. Spanking and beating are two different things entirely. When it comes to spanking, I believe that moderation is the key. Don’t discipline in anger. For me, I have to step back first before I discipline. In that way, I am showing my grandkids how to react when things don’t go my way, or I need to correct them. Temperance in disciplining goes a long way.
Other areas we need to model Godly behavior is how we treat others, how to allow differences of opinion, showing how to put others before ourselves, being patient, showing that God goes first before everything and everyone. Let your kids see you studying your Bible, have devotions with them, pray with them, model before them what God is teaching you. They will soon pick up on that and begin to display Godly behavior themselves. Will you be perfect at it? No, and neither will they, but when you model it before them, they will be more inclined to follow in your footsteps.
So, today’s word is, “Be an example!”
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