A few years ago, just before my youngest son finished high school, he was in a local super market and witnessed a man beating up a woman. Seeing her on the floor with the man kicking her repeatedly, my son forced his way through the crowd of onlookers and shoved the man away from the woman, warning him not to touch her again. The angry man lunged forward whereupon my son shoved him once again and warned him not to touch her. At this, the man huffed away toward the door but was met by the police who had been called by a store worker.
When I heard what happened I warned my son of the risk of what he had done and then lavished praise upon him for doing it anyway. It was a brave influence for right.
Not everyone should do what my son did, but every parent should raise their children to be a Godly influence.
Below are some hints to that end.
1. Be an influence yourself.
Reach out to others in an effort to lift them and encourage them.
2. Train your children to possess godly principles.
- Teach a class at church
- Sing in the choir
- Hand out tracts
Influence can only happen if a person has godly principles
3. Teach the value of faithfulness.
Real influence happens over a lifetime.
4. Teach your children to shun the spotlight.
Rarely is a celebrity type influence either godly enduring. You will need to avoid watching those in the spotlight if you want to convince your children not to seek it. Conversely, let them observe you taking notice of and giving honor to men of true godly Influence, such as quietly speaking with and being a blessing to a pastor or Sunday school teacher.
5. Praise marks of godly influence you notice in your children.
Developing a power of observing your children and responding positively to positive character and correcting quickly negative character is key to raising children.
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