Stop Pretending

"I think we can stop pretending that we’re perfect, or even that we’re trying to be perfect in front of our children. That leaves so little room for God. What I want most for my children is that they would be dependent upon God. I can’t make them God-dependent, but I can live out my own dependence on God. I can do this by letting my kids see my fatigue at times, my mistakes, my limitations, even my tears---and my fears! Let them see some of that, as is age appropriate.


I remember one time when my husband had been gone for 2 weeks. I was exhausted. My five sons were fighting and tearing the house apart. They wouldn’t listen to me, and I just lost it. I just broke down and cried in front of them. They stopped, stunned. Suddenly they had a very visual display of the impact of their behavior! They quit. They apologized and things settled down. Now, I didn’t plan that. In fact, I plan for the opposite—that I’ll always be in control, I’ll always have the right answer and response . . . but if you’re superwoman all the time, they’ll not see your need of God. Don’t be afraid to just be human!


Let them see you pray when you’re afraid, when you fail. Let them see your sadness at your own sin. Let them hear of your own struggles to live righteously. We can’t bring our children to faith ourselves---this is God’s work. But we can show them what it looks like to live as a servant of God. " ~Leslie Leyland Fields