Children Are Watching

I remember hearing someone say years ago that children have a strange ability to hear very little of what we say and almost everything we do.

Because whether we’re aware of it or not, someone is always watching. They’re watching how we treat their mother. How we handle disappointment. How we talk about people. How we respond when life doesn’t go our way.

And honestly, that’s both humbling and encouraging. Humbling because none of us get it right all the time. Encouraging because children don’t need perfect parents. They need authentic ones. Parents who apologize. Parents who pray. Parents who keep showing up.

Jesus never asked His disciples to do something He wasn’t already doing Himself. His life and His message were one and the same. And because of that, people trusted Him.

Musonius Rufus believed that virtue is learned more by observation than instruction. And perhaps that’s because example has a way of reaching places words never can.