Example

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

With this week’s Happy Friday, I hope to encourage and inspire all of us to thoughtfully consider the lives we live and make sure the message(s) we are sending are what we want them to be. I will share several quotes, a couple thoughts, and a challenge or two.

Unbeknownst to me, my word for the week has been “example.” I didn’t really realize it at the time, however “example” has been chasing me all week.

On Monday I selected the memory verse I would work on this week. I settled on 1 Timothy 4:12.

“12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Sure, it is obvious to you because I told you we are focusing on “example” however it did not really hit me until Wednesday morning. On Wednesday morning I was reading my book, Warrior: Equipping Men for Spiritual Victory by Lance Ingram. I was reading a section titled, Fathers – Live the example we teach when I came across this quote:

“It’s time to wake up and realize that our purpose as fathers is to simply set the example of integrity, excellence, and closeness to Jesus so that the next generations are exposed to the same peace, power, purpose, and promise that a relationship with God brings!”

Pretty powerful, isn’t it? Based on this section and that quote, my word for the day when looking for quotes to share on Twitter and Facebook was “example.” What came up were three of my favorite quotes of all time! They challenge and inspire me every time I read them!

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

“People may teach what they know, but they reproduce what they are.” – John C. Maxwell

“What you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Then, when working on my memory verse, the word example jumped out at me like it was bolded, highlighted, underlined, AND had a spotlight on it. At that moment I smiled…clearly, I have been being led to think about and work on being an example, or more specifically, the type of example I am setting, all week!!!

So, what kind of example are we setting? What kind of fruit are the lives we are living – the things we actually do, not just say – producing? Do we like what it looks like?

Have you ever had a mirror held up for you in the form of your small child? When, instead of doing what you want, hope, and pray they will do, they do what they have watched you do? You know, you tell them we treat everyone kindly and with respect. And then there is the day that you are tired, you have had a bad day, and you are at your wits end. And then, someone does something that finally lights your fuse and you are rude and disrespectful. Then your precious little one does the same thing one day and all the sudden you feel like the worst parent who ever lived. Please be kind to yourself…we have all been there!

This isn’t a “don’t we all suck?” kinda Happy Friday! I want to remind all of us that it is the things that we consistently do that determine the lives we live…and the examples we set. Just as I can’t read my Bible or pray one time and expect my kids to follow my example of “integrity, excellence, and closeness to Jesus,” one failing moment will not ruin them for life either. And there is a lot to be learned, a great example to be set, in being accountable for the things we say and do, apologizing, and then doing the hard work of making sure we don’t make the same mistake again…we need more of that in this world!

So, the question for all of us this week is, “what examples are we setting?” If the people I am blessed to have in my life follow my example in faith, in being a man, husband, father, leader, and friend, would I like what that looks like? Would the world be a better place for it? Each one of us must answer those questions for ourselves. And the wise among us will be accountable and make course corrections when and where necessary.

And as for the challenge this week, I will let Tony Robbins handle that…

“I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.” - Tony Robbins

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!

Kev