They are Watching

"...In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven..." - Matthew 5:16
 
.

 "She Was Watching" - Mark Schultz

He always called her daddy's little girl
She was four years old
Waiting by the door to run into his arms
Each time that he came home
And every night he tucked her in and read to her in bed
When she'd fall asleep he'd close his eyes and gently bow his head

[Chorus]
But she was watching
Her daddy praying
And thought someday I wanna be like that
She was watchin what he was saying
And the way he bowed his head
And though she can't recall the prayer
She was watching

Late one evening he was coming home from work
He called to say he'd lost his job
And after dinner they excused their baby girl
She knew they had to talk
But from inside her bedroom
She could hear them down the hall
They were dancing in the kitchen as momma sang his favorite song

[Chorus]
She was watching
As they were dancing
And thought someday I wanna be like that
She was watching
Her momma singing
As they were dancing hand in hand
And though she can't recall the song
She was watching

Faith can't be taught
It's just something that is caught along the way
No faith is never taught
It's just something that they catch from watching you along the way
 
He always called her daddy's little girl
But now she's twenty-three
He walks her down the aisle to give away his world
Oh but he can hardly speak
And when he kisses her goodbye he tries to hold it in
But as he turns away she pulls him close and whispers in his ear

I was watching
And I've been waiting
And finally found someone just like you
I was watching
My whole life praying
For God to see it through
And as he kissed her one last time
He said a prayer and closed his eyes
And she was watching 

.

This song came out when I was in my junior year of college, and I knew as soon as I heard it that it would be the song I would dance to with my Daddy at my wedding someday. The song illustrated my relationship with my Dad and parents perfectly, and it immediately became "our" song. When my wedding day finally came, 7+ years later, Daddy & I cried through the whole song, but it was one of the most special moments of my life, dancing with my Dad, and celebrating our relationship. 

.

Andrew played this song again this morning, and as I listening, and crying again...it hit me that I'm now the parent that my girls are watching. I'm the Mom in this song: I'm saying the prayers, I'm dancing with Daddy in the kitchen, I'm the one that will teach them the most important things in life: real love, and real faith.

.

I've been coming to realize the weight of being the girls teacher more and more the last few months, as the oldest girls are growing into an age where they are beginning to test boundaries, having more outside influences from school friends, and trying to navigate pre-teen emotions and concerns. Life for a 10 & almost 12 year old in this day in age is hard, they face so many things that when I was their age was not an issue. It can be a lot of pressure for a parent to make sure their kids know the truth and turn out OK. Especially when those kids are pastors kids. Imagine growing up with 50+ people acting like your parents, expecting great things from you, and watching your every move. (For those of you reading, I'll please ask that you show love to my girls, and never judgement, as I can promise you, that won't help. I grew up a pastors kid,so  I know.) 

It can be a lot of pressure to make your child learn the right path, and make the right choices, and do the right things, so that they will grow up to be perfect little people in society. I've been guilty of drilling a lesson into the ground, attacking it from all angles, making sure I don't miss anything, making sure it's impossible for them to miss the point. 

But you know what, when I get ranting and raving my latest point, my latest life lesson, the one I think is so important for the girls to learn and understand, they are probably tuning me out. Because who wants to talk about the same thing for 15 minutes, who wants to be preached at? Not me. And probably not kids either. 

So the line in this song that stuck out to me today was a new one:

 "...Faith can't be taught, it's just something that is caught along the way..."

All this time I've been drilling lessons into the girls, trying to make them understand...and what they really needed to see was me living the lessons out, not saying anything, but just letting them absorb life, and see how Andrew and I live, knowing that it will sink into them, and that when they grow up, they will know the right way to go.

In the middle of worrying that our girls would go down the wrong path, and never mature in their faith, and make poor choices, I had forgotten the influence that we have on them, as their parents, by just simply living out our lives. Because it's as we're living out our lives, that our girls are seeing us, listening to us, and watching us, learning what to do. 

Instead of worrying and nitpicking over every little thing, all I need to do is trust that my girls will see our life unfolding around them, and naturally pick up good habits.

.

This rule applies to everyone, whether you're a parent or not. We all should be sharing our faith with those around us. And sometimes, the need to share that faith is more urgent. You may have a hurting coworker that you've been witnessing to, or you may have a dying family member that still doesn't profess Christ, and you may feel like you need to drill the message into them for them to get it.

But step back, ask God for guidance, and allow The Holy Spirit to do His job. Allow Him to gently woo a wayward soul, and let the life you are living before others speak for itself.

They are watching.