Preaching Parents

This past Friday, I heard a very interesting Preacher on the radio. I cannot for the life of me remember what the station was called; I was up at Holland Landing and scanning the stations when I heard the word HYPOCRISY.

It caught my attention and I kept listening. The last bit of this Preacher’s Sermon really gave me food for thought…so much so that I am going to tell you about it!

He was speaking about our hypocrisy. Saying how it is one of the very first things we learn! How one, as a parent, can pass it on without even realizing it.

I have heard Fr. Mario tell us once and again (and he’ll probably have to tell us a million and one more times) how we are stupid! The things we allow our kids, the things we give our kids, and he is absolutely right! We are risking raising (sometimes I really enjoy alliteration) entire generations of selfish brats that feel a huge sense of entitlement. I do not want that!  Do any of us?

This Preacher was warning against using the Bible and Religion at every turn and in every situation. He was saying that the biggest danger of Christian Schools was just that, Religion in everything. He stated that manipulative kids are being raised. Kids that can cloak evil with righteousness, like the Pharisees did. That these kids will hear so much about Religion and learn to manipulate it so well that they will be able to justify just about anything and find the “excuse” in the Bible. He went on to tell us parents that it was our job to keep it “real.” That it was his job and that of other Preachers to give the Sermons.

He elaborated upon all of this by stating that as Parents, we try to give the best examples we possibly can, and because we are flawed, we fail. Thus, many of us resort to the “do as I say not as I do” practice.

Well, this, as we all know, does not work! I’m sure we can all remember an example where we saw our Parents as hypocrites. I remember my family telling me not to smoke. It was prohibited! And yet, a lot of my family members smoke! So what did I walk away with? Hypocrisy.

Heck, I, myself, am a HYPOCRITE! I don’t want my children to do as I have done! I stress forgiveness and find it hard to do! I find it appalling when people criticize others without knowing their entire story or reasons why they do things, and yet, I have done that too! Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrisy…and this is why this Preacher hit home with me. How can I keep telling my kids they shouldn’t do, mustn’t do, can’t do…when I myself DO!

He advised that the way to keep it real for our kids was to admit how we are flawed. How we are not perfect. How we do and will fail. He made a wonderful point, saying that our kids, our kids, our kids, can keep us in check!

Our kids will, can, and do, point out our shortcomings, our hypocrisies. When they do, we should let them know that we just have to keep trying. We must be examples of TRYING and NEVER giving up. We can never, ever, try to cover-up our shortcomings or feel that because we are the Parents we always have to be or are right. That would make us lose credibility and probably respect. We must not preach and sermon to our kids over and over and over and over again about how this is against our Beliefs, that they should do and be as Jesus did. They will eventually tune us out. They will turn around and ask, “How come you don’t do as Jesus did?” They will point out our Hypocrisy.

That is why we need to leave the preaching to the Preachers and Priests! 🙂 It is our job to try to live it out as best we can. Tell them that we should always try to do as Jesus did and acknowledge when we haven’t. Let them know I should have this, that would have been the right thing to do, but I didn’t. I have to try harder. THIS is the best way to educate our kids in the Faith, not by preaching one thing and doing another…

I am paraphrasing of course, but I feel that I took away quite a bit.

All in all, people pointing out our flaws, our imperfections, is not a bad thing – of course it has to be done properly – it can make us better.

Now, if only I can put it into practice…