My biggest role model growing up was my father. I looked up to everything he did. He set a perfect example of what it meant to be a role model. I learned a lot from him.
How are we a role model to other people? I am talking about how everyone we interact with views us.
Let's use our children as an example for this illustration. Being a role model to our children is crucial. It helps shape them into a respectable person. We install our values and morals in them. As Christians, we integrate the Bible into their lives as much as we can. Or do we?
Just reading the Bible as a night time story isn't enough. We must pray with our children and give them the Godly tools to succeed in this life. To be a good role model, we must stop saying “do as I say, not as I do.” If we want to have a positive impact on our children, it starts with us. Our kids see how we treat our spouse and how we work together. They look at how we treat others when we go to the store. Our children look at how we help our neighbor in their time of need.
Being a role model is more about what we do then what we say. Our words are meaningless if our actions do not replicate them. How can we read a bible verse to our children about treating others kindly if we do not do this with our actions?
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Being a Christian role model means reading the Bible and praying about what we do. It means acting out in a Godly way towards others to replicate what we are reading and praying about.
Being a role model to others.
How we act in public around our friends or even strangers for that matter will have an impact on them. They see our reactions and are either turned off by us or want to follow suit. We are in essence advertising for how they can be persuaded to respond in a similar situation. If we are graceful and kind, they may be drawn to act the same way.
Even when you do not think that others are watching you, they are. When you yell at the waitress at the restaurant, the other tables seated next to you are listening. Are your feelings justified? Probably so. But are your actions justified? Do you overstep your boundaries and lead a bad example for others? Think about your actions and how others will perceive them. Don't fall into the trap of being a negative role model.