Be what you want your children to be

A mother and her son were watching the Discovery Channel when, to the mother’s surprise, the little boy saw a statue of Buddha and said, “That’s the religion of some Asian people and in India too, I think”. The mother said “Do you know what they believe?” to which the boy replied, “I think they believe in a fat bald man who gives you good luck if you rub his belly. Some of them wear orange robes and are really nice and peaceful people.”

So she got out the encyclopedias and showed the boy other religious pictures, starting with a crescent moon, representing Islam. The boy said, “That’s the religion where ladies wear long black robes and cover their faces and all the men have beards. They really like their religion so much that they practice it all the time, even when they’re not at church.” “Wow” replied the mother “You really know your stuff! Where did you learn that?” The boy said “A friend at school lives by one of them.”

Then she showed him a Star of David. The boy said “That’s the Jews. A lot of them were killed by bad people. Some of the men wear all black and have black hats and curly sideburns. They go cry at a wall in Jerusalem because they are sad.” “Where did you learn that?” asked the mother. “From watching a movie on the history channel” said the boy.

The mother then showed the boy a Cross, to which the boy replied “Oh, I know that one. That’s about Jesus.” “You’re right!” said the mother. “What do we Christians do?” The boy said “They build really humungous and pretty buildings that nobody goes to, except for little kids, like when you drop me off at Vacation Bible School. But it’s hard to tell who a Christian is because they act, look and talk just like everybody else.”

At his response the mother started crying, realizing that she should have been practicing what she had claimed to believe.

The point is that one should be careful what one claims to be. In the United States, the vast majority of people claim to be Christian, or have been baptized in a Christian Church, and then never darken the doors of the Church with their shadow. Subsequently, their lives show absolutely no Christ-likeness, no change. You can’t say you love God and never visit Him, never worship Him, never do anything to grow closer to Him by learning obedience to His Word. That sort of a relationship doesn’t work with your parents, or especially with your wife or husband, does it? Try telling them you love them, then never visit them, never try to please them, and basically ignore their existence until you absolutely need them for something. This is the same way people treat God. Perfection isn’t possible, but love is, and Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. “

- Paul Thompson