Leading by Example
Tomorrow, my son, Jack, will be 11 months old! It is so hard for me to believe that only 11 months ago his sole source of nutrition came from a bottle and now he's eating food off of my plate. We've just recently moved from feeding Jack only baby food to letting him have "real" table food, which to be honest, has complicated our mealtimes. Up until now, my husband and I didn't have to think as much about what we were eating for dinner. But suddenly, I'm seeing every meal we eat in a whole new light.
In fact, just yesterday, we went grocery shopping. One of the staple items that we keep on hand is a bag of frozen chicken, whether it is breaded chicken breasts, chicken nuggets, or chicken patties. On busy days, it is so easy to make chicken and rice or chicken and mac and cheese. But yesterday as I was picking the bag of chicken patties off the shelf, I thought Do I really want to feed Jack frozen, processed chicken? I promptly put the bag back on the shelf.
Suddenly, I find myself wanting to make more healthy food choices ... choices I should have been making all along, but now there is a new urgency. I want to set an example of healthy eating (and a healthy overall lifestyle) for Jack so that he will grow up to be healthy, happy, and strong.
The same can be said for every aspect of life. Am I making healthy choices about what I watch on TV? Am I choosing to spend my time wisely? Am I a good steward of our finances? Utlimately, the most important question is Am I leading by example? LIttle eyes are watching everything I do, even right now before he completely understands. Now is the time to start setting the example.
I must say ... I have a lot of work to do. I know I won't ever be perfect, but my prayer is that I can model a healthy Christian life for my son ... a life that I would be proud for him to imitate!
Do you struggle with setting the example? What are your biggest struggles?
Comments (1)
Jodi,
That's wonderful that you are thinking about setting a good example of healthy eating for Jack. Being a parent puts a whole new spin on everything we do, doesn't it?
Blessings to you and your family!
Posted on June 11, 2009 6:44 PM