Failed Expectations, Role Model Challenge, and Family Love

Hmmm…I’m still figuring out how posts on the weekend are going to work out.  Give me some time to figure out the kinks    Thanks for your patience!

Sept 5 – Role Model

This piece from today is a powerful one.  I suspect it is very real to many of us.  How many times have we placed someone – a sibling, another family member, a close friend, political or religious leader – on a pedestal as a role model and then had them fail us?  Sometimes, people let us down in a major and very personal way, and sometimes they just fall short of the expectations we have set for them.  Either way, it can be a difficult thing to understand and recover from. 

I watched an interview with Cindy Crawford years ago (a world-famous supermodel from a few years back) and one thing she said has really stuck with me.  She mentioned that a defining moment for her was the moment she realized her parents were human.  I was probably 17 when I saw this interview, and I reazlied that I had never really acknowledged that.  I still expected them to do everything just right.  We have to remember, though, that our parents and anyone else older than us are capable of having the same emotions, the same insecurities, the same fears, and the same ability to mess up that we have.  They’ve just had more time to figure life out.  We’re not perfect, so why do we expect them to be?  But it still hurts to lose that kind of role model, to be reminded that people, no matter how admirable, are human and will fail us.

That’s where God comes in – In Hebrews 13:5, God says, “I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you.”  God is the only one who can keep that promise.  People can do their best to be faithful, but they will always fall short.  God, in His perfection, is true to His word.  Look to Jesus and His life as your ultimate role model more than the people around you.  Lean on God as your source of strength and joy, knowing that He is always with you and is waiting for you to turn to Him for comfort and support. 

Sept 6 – Big Sister, Big Hero

The chances are that someone somewhere looks up to you.  Maybe it’s a younger sibling who you know wants to be like you or maybe it’s someone from school who you don’t even know exists who wonders how they could become your friend.  Have you ever thought of yourself as a role model for someone?  If you knew someone was trying to be like you, maybe even act just like you, how would it change the way you act?  Would you use the same kind of language?  Say the same things about people?  Do the same things on the weekend?

Part of being a role model is acknowledging and accepting your responsibilities to other people.  You can’t always just do whatever you want to do because other people are counting on you to set an example.  There are always things we can improve about the way we behave because, like we mentioned yesterday, none of us is perfect.  Several verses in Bible really challenge us to live well – Matthew 5:28 says “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (whoa!) and Ephesians 4:1 encourages us to “live a life worthy of the calling [we] have received” – and the calling we have received is to be followers of Jesus.

God asks a lot of us, however, another important part of being a role model is owning up to our weaknesses and our mistakes.  This honesty can be difficult, especially when we are overly concerned with what people think of us, but it reminds the people who look up to us that we are not perfect.  It may help them to feel better about their weakness as well, when they realize that the person they want to be like messes up too.

As a role model to someone, even if you don’t know it, reflect today on how you can set an example for them.  Think if there are any struggles you try to hide from people because you don’t know how they will respond, and then consider letting those weaknesses show to be an encouragement to others.

Sept 7 – Love Begins at Home

Here’s the verse for today, once again, another difficult one to hear:  “People who don’t take care of their relatives and especially their own families, have given up their faith.  They are worse than someone who doesn’t have faith in the Lord.” (1 Timothy 5:8)  

I have not always been the most faithful daughter to my family.  I went through a period of time in my late elementary and early middle school years where I pushed them away and gave them attitude because that’s what I saw the ”cool” kids my age doing.  There are not many decisions I have regretted more.  Only recently did I realize how much I had hurt my parents by acting like this.  Since realizing my mistake, I have tried, slowly but surely, to show love to my parents however I could.  Some days, that meant making sure to give them a hug and tell them I love them, and some days, it was cleaning up the kitchen without being asked so they didn’t have to. 

One of the first commandments God gave us tells us to “Honor our father and mother” (Exodus 20:12), but today’s verse talks to us about the rest of our immediate family as well.  What are some ways you can serve your family this week?  Can you do something for them that would be helpful?  What about some ways to make them feel special or let them know that you love them?  Even if you don’t always get along, show the members of your family a special measure of love today.  They’re worth it.