The Muscle Shirt

Background: My oldest son is having a little streak of narcissism. He insists on only wearing sleeveless t-shirts in order to show off his muscles. He frequently makes comments about how strong he is and shows off how many pushups he can do. I’m not totally surprised. Our children are products of their environment (with the ability to upgrade as they get older).

This self love doesn’t surprise me because we spend at least 1-2 hrs at the gym 3 days a week. Even though they go play in the children’s room and never touch a dumbbell, their environment oozes with muscles and fitness. They just assume they are like everyone else at the gym. This truth about children and their environment is very powerful. We all learn by watching, listening and doing, but children especially. They spend the first 5-6 years of their life not knowing how to read, so they can’t go to a manual and say, “Hey ma, you’re doing that wrong.” All they can do is absorb what they see and hear.

With that said, we reach out to our P31 for some advice, seeing how she is worth more than rubies. The P31 has much to show her children. She works diligently, making clothing, selling her products, buying land and planting vineyards. She prepares meals for her family and staff. She does her husband good. She makes her arms strong. She just flat out isn’t lazy. But the more lasting things that she demonstrates before her children are the wise instructional words that she speaks in kindness and her giving spirit.

The words that are spoken to us mold who we are. The old phrase about sticks and stones is rubbish. Words shape our thoughts about the world around us and ourselves. The P31’s words are kind and wise and they teach in every situation. If we aren’t skilled at delivering kind and wise words, we have to get around someone who is and learn how to master that. Having a giving spirit is equally as in important. We want to develop men and women that have a mindset of giving vs thinking the world must serve them. Giving requires that you take from your own supply to aid someone else and if we can impart that into our children, it will set them on a path to prosper in all things.

Even though children grow up and do their own thing, trust that you pointed them in the right direction by your Godly, well-rounded lifestyle. When they get older they will give you the praise and honor that you have earned.

References: Proverbs 31:10,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,22,24,26,27,28,31