it's the little things

today when i got home from a run to the store, i noticed that the trashmen had already come by. before i unloaded the car, i wanted to put the trash bins back where they belong. where we live we have two trash bins per house. i started to pull up the trash bin that was blocking half our driveway when i saw my son at the end of the driveway.

he asked me, "mommy are you going to pull all those trash bins up?"

"yes.", i replied.

"why are you pulling them all up, they are not all ours?", he asked.

"i know they are not all ours, but this is a way we show God's love to our neighbors."

when i turned around from pulling the first trash bin up, i saw that my son had put down his toys and was pulling one of the other trash bins up.

now i don't tell you this little story to brag on my son. quite the opposite really. i tell this story because when i saw him pulling up the other trash bin it immediately convicted me.

my children watch what i do - all the time. am i taking the opportunities to set godly examples for my children? am i being selfish? am i being judgemental? am i being merciful? am i being encouraging? am i being rude? am i being inconsistent? am i being gracious? what am i being? because my children will be more like my actions than my words.

Luke 6:40

"A disciple is not great than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher."

whether i want to or not, i am training my child.

Matthew 7:16

"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?"

so...... i already know this but there is a reason i tagged this post "things i'm still learning". if my children are being sassy, rude, disrespectful, disobedient, i probably need to look at myself and how i am acting toward the officer, them, or other people around me. am i setting the godly example i want them to be?

geez i thought i was just pulling up the trash bins for the neighbors. :)