Mission Venture Ministries

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2 

This verse is basically saying: You are like children who learn proper behavior from your parents, so, watch what God does, and then do it also. 

Children watch, and by watching, children learn. No matter how often we may say, ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ the children around us will learn from the lessons implied in our behavior far more effectively than the words we use. And they’ll probably pick up a good dose of hypocrisy at the same time. 

When you think your kids are not listening, remember this: a parent’s example is a child’s textbook. From language to mannerisms, kids grow by trying to do what they see their parents doing. As our children watch how we spend our time, money, and talents, they learn what we value. 

So, how does the principle of imitation apply to the goal of raising kids who follow Christ? If our kids hear us pray, will they pray? What if they see us reading our Bibles and going to church, will they learn to cherish Christ as we do? Based on Scripture, parents can take heart knowing that God will use our hard work (Hebrews 6:10). When we share the truth of the gospel with our words and lives, God accomplishes what only He can do, which is to bear fruit in the lives of our children (Isaiah 55:10-11). 

Our children need God’s grace and the transforming power of the gospel. The question remains: what part do parents play in reaching not only a child’s behavior but of transforming their heart?  

Ephesians 5:1 speaks powerfully to parents, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” As parents imitate our Father God, we proclaim His beloved Son to our children. Our children have the opportunity to see in everyday reactions the power and the wonder of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension. In the power of the Holy Spirit, our everyday life makes the invisible visible.  

Imitating God is the privilege and gift God gives His children. In Ephesians 4:32, God gives Christian parents 3 traits to imitate for God’s glory in their family:  

God’s kindness: When we see selfishness, rebellion, anger, envy and pride in our child, what should we do? We search for proven biblical methods to get them to change.

Many times God is graciously showing us our own faults through our kids and giving us also an opportunity to change. 

God’s kindness shows us the sin in our hearts that we too often fail to see. As we humbly repent, God readies us to lead our kids to see the struggles with sin in their hearts. As parents imitate God’s kindness, we show our children not only what their sin is, but why they struggle with sin. We help them see that God works from the inside out as He starts with our own heart. As much as we want our kids to behave, our aim is more than to simply change behavior since: 

God wants us also to imitate His compassion: As you imitate God and His tenderhearted authority, you can help your kids understand that God has made them for Himself. Watch for opportunities in everyday life to talk about your own relationship with your loving Father. Pray for the ability to share on your child’s level your own struggles and joys. Your words and actions can show your kids what it means to live and grow as God’s child forever.  

An lastly, God wants us to imitate His loving forgiveness: When kids are young, they squabble with siblings and friends. Tears and timeouts are common. When we tell them to apologize, after a quick “sorry,” they often run back to restart the game, as if nothing ever happened. With age, arguments intensify, forgiveness becomes harder and relationships suffer. They reason, “If someone hurts us, they deserve to be hurt.”

How can parents help their children learn to forgive? Start by asking yourself, “How does God treat me when I have said and done what is wrong, does God ignore when I sin? Does He separate Himself from me? How does He discipline me? Do I recognize His love even as He disciplines me? How does He draw me to repent? How does He restore me to a relationship with Himself? God our Father shows us perfectly what forgiveness looks like. When we least deserved His love, He sent His only Son, Jesus to die for us. Jesus paid the penalty for our selfish quarrels and grudge-holding hearts.  

God gives parents many opportunities to imitate His loving forgiveness. When you have sinned against your child, God gives you the opportunity to impress your kids with the truth of His amazing love. He calls you not to cover your sin but confess, openly and humbly, to your child. Let them know you regret your careless words and actions that caused their hurt. With all sincerity say, “I need to ask for your forgiveness.” 

Remember this: Why do we want to imitate God? Because we love Him and we want to obey His loving instructions to us. We don’t want our kids to simply change their behavior. We want them to know the joy of imitating God themselves. Even after we are new creatures in Christ, honest parents know that our continuous struggle with our fallen nature at times stains the image of God in us. The more we grow in Christ, the more we see that at times we do not reflect God’s image clearly. But as we continue to imitate our Heavenly Father, we confidently trust our children will see more of Him in us.  

As we imitate Christ and our children imitate us, they will reap the benefits of the fruit of the Spirit as they learn about God and His Son not only from what we say but from what we do. So keep in mind to be careful what you do, because little eyes are watching you. 

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