live by example

today my daughter and i were shopping at ross, looking for some pjs. as we strolled down the aisle, i was busy looking through the racks while avery busied herself with oohing and ahhing outfits i held up for her to look at (man, our love affair with clothes starts early!). at one point she starts saying "uh-oh" in her adorable 16 month old way. I look to where she is pointing and see a tshirt that had fallen off a hanger.

"yeah", i respond, " a shirt fell on the floor!" in my chipper positive-mom voice. I began to move on down the row when a little voice inside my head said, live by example now. i stopped, asked avery if we should hang it up and she said "yeah." i did so and we continued on our way, my mind thinking, wow, setting an example for our children is going start with the little things.

of course, after that, avery determined we were the clothes police and would loudly draw my attention to another victim. I did my best to smile, say, "yep, let's pick it up" and then distract her (set an example, yes. repeatedly prove the point? well, uh, gotta go...).

but in all seriousness, i'm really grateful for that moment of insight. i know that daily i don't set the best example for my daughter in every aspect of life. i keep the tv on a little too long, don't clean house as diligently as i should and definitely don't love others as Christ has challenged, no commanded us to do. so, that is why, when the Holy Spirit whispers in my ear, set the example. take responsibility, i want to learn to obey. i know bigger issues will arise. i just pray that my response will not be "i didn't do it, it's not my problem" but rather "hey, can i improve the situation in any way?" i hope my daughter learns that as well. i know that her daddy already does a great job of it naturally.