I’ve been thinking recently about how impressionable our children and students are. A verse often directed toward parents and teachers is Luke 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” Be honest. Does that frighten you as badly as it does me?

Although she is nearly all grown up now (or at least thinks she is), when my daughter Sophia was little, she was a never-ending source of entertainment in our home and a constant reminder of the impressionable nature of children.

Once while riding in our van, she asked me, “Daddy, if you had your sunglasses with you, would you put them on.” When I responded “yes,” she immediately donned her Hello Kitty sunglasses.

Thinking about these exchanges reminds me of a parenting truism worth our consideration. When our child sees what her mommy or daddy is doing and then follows suit, she is building a habit of imagining what we would do in a certain situation and then acting accordingly.

A couple of years ago, my former pastor shared with me a list of the things he wanted his teenaged kids to know as they entered adulthood.  Rather than overwhelming them with constant tips and suggestions ("Remember this . . . "; "This is important . . . "; "You'll want to know this . . . "), he had the idea that he could write them a note each day of the year.  So he did.  Once a day for a full year, he wrote them a short email with the imaginative subject line, "Things I want you to know".  The subjects ranged from spiritual counsel to relational advice to practical concerns. Here are few examples:

• Marry well.

• Carry mints.

• Cultivate varied interests.

• Be quick to "yield the floor" in conversation.  Ask questions.

• When you can, walk rather than drive.

• Vote

• Steer clear of drama and gossip.  It will soil your spirit.

• Buy good sheets.

• Ask, "Where am I needed?" before asking, "How can I amuse myself?"

• Having an occasional bad day means your human. Having frequent bad days might mean you’ve developed selfish habits of the mind.

• Only rarely is silence sinful.  Only rarely.

• Walking in humility is not the same thing as a chronic preoccupation with your failings.

• Celebrate Easter big.

• Be encouraged that the Spirit helps you when praying is difficult.

• Don’t miss the place you’re in by wondering about the next place. 

• When pulling out and crossing traffic, look left, then right, then left. Left. Right. Left.

• Make your heart behave. When it's restless, scold it like David. (Psalm 131:2; Psalm 42:5)

• If you find yourself speaking for several minutes without interruption, it’s probably time to ask a question.

• Tip well.

• Follow capitalization rules -- even when texting.

• Ignore some preachers.  Listen casually to others.  But, when J.I. Packer speaks, stop what you’re doing and grab your pen. 

• Scrimp on some things, but buy good coffee.

• Make a habit of cleaning up after yourself.

• Be right quietly.

• Contribute to the Shalom in the room.

• Bring a book.

Talk about being intentional. I’d call being committed to this simple task of recording tidbits of wisdom for 365 days intentional. And just imagine, this list is certainly not exhaustive. We would all do well to make time to come up with our own list.

Make no mistake about it, our children are imitators of us. With the certainly of this truth firmly in hand, it follows that we should give thought not only to what we say but also what we do.

In terms of lasting effect, our greater gift and duty to our children is not our advice, but our example. 

For someone with lots of opinions, that's very hard for me to admit!  There's truth to the familiar line: "Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks."  There's just no substitute for example.  Be generous with your counsel.  Instruct.  Correct.  Advise.  Read the Proverbs.  Teaching our children is the duty of every Christian parent, but it is not the only duty we have.  Our counsel must be accompanied by a consistent, though imperfect, example.