The Masters - pt. 2

I had one more thought about Tiger Woods and my cheering for him during the Masters recently.

This thought was, how do we as parents help kids choose role models?

If I had a kid that wanted to play golf, I would show him videos of Tiger Woods.  The greatest shots, the best putts, and the focus/determination he had on each shot.  I would encourage my child to learn about Tiger and how he got so good.  I would let him/her look up to Tiger! That would stop at golf.

 I would give my child alternative role models when it came to their character and life.

We need to differentiate between sports and truth.  The truth is we should never put an athlete up on a pedastal as somebody to mirror our kids character off of.  I don't care how great Tim Tebow is, the only thing that I would let my child emulate is how he plays football.  Sure I would tell my kids that he goes on missions trips and show them tweets from him about trusting God.  He is not the person that should be a role model to my kids though.  Tebow has great character, it's not his job to stay on the up-and-up for my kids though.

It is my job to offer positive spiritual role models to my kids.

There are a number of people that I could direct my kids towards, let's take a look at a few -

1. The first role model for our kids should be Jesus.  My kids need to know that there is no greater role model than Him.  The way he talked, the way he loved, the way He interacted with others should be the same way my kids talk, love, and interact with those around them.  This is an obvious one, but it's important to remember that everything we do should be pointed back towards Jesus Christ.

2. Another major role model for our kids is US.  I know this is a them amongst all these posts but everything starts with us.  Any kid watches their parents to see what they do in certain situations and then models that later in life.  We don't need to to tell our kids, "Watch Daddy as a role model of how to act." If we do this, we will let them down.  We just need to live it out!

3. Different bible characters.  As someone in ministry, in a position of leadership.  I believe 100% that my role models should be Christ followers who had leadership.  I look towards Joshua and Timothy as role models of faith and they way they lived it out.  They are real to me, I bring them to life when I read their stories.  I can do the same for my kids, I can make their favorite bible hero come to life, by doing skits, playing games, and just getting my kids involved in the story. 

4. Spiritual mentors.  Right now I am surrounded by some amazing mentors.  Erik Tullberg, Peter Mayberry, Jonathon Smith, John Bristow, and Sam Askew.  I would love for my children to look up to these guys.  They are the role models in my life.  They walk their talk and are trying to become like Jesus.  These are the guys that I follow, my child doesn't have to follow these exact guys, but I can help him/her to find their own mentors as role models.

The truth is, the only one that won't let them down is Jesus. 

 The other three role models will make or have made mistakes.  I love all my spiritual mentors but I have seen them do things I don't agree with (sorry guys).  I make mistakes daily and Joshua sinned as well.  The biggest thing we can do is continually point our kids toward Jesus.  When a kid is let down by a mentor or by you, it opens up an opportunity for discussion.  You can simply ask...

How would Jesus have handled that situation differently?

The answer from your kids will not just help them in their walk, but will also help you become more like Christ and live more like Him in the future.  So, yes I want my kids to play golf like Tiger Woods, I want them to play soccer like Christiano Ronaldo, I want them to play basketball like LeBron James, and I want them to play football like Micael Vick.  Those things are fine.

BUT I WANT THEM TO LIVE THIER LIVES LIKE JESUS!