Passing it on....

I was reading in Phil 4:9 this morning.....

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me -- put it into practice....

learned from
received from ...put into practice
heard from
seen in

And I thought..what have my children seen in me? I know I use lots of words with them, but what have they seen in me? Anything worthy of receiving, of imitating? That would stick with them?

What have they received from me? I am giving out..are they receiving? Am I giving out the right things? Am I giving out effectively?

What are they learning? What are they hearing?...in my tone, content, delivery, expression?
What are they overhearing?

What is it that I am deliberately and undeliberately passing on to them? And is one overriding the other?

It made me think of that old song from my youth.....Pass it on..

It only takes a spark to get a fire going... And that is true of both a good spark, of love and devotion to God and each other, or a bad spark of anger and bad feelings. (We talk about at home, when a situation is getting a little heated, do we come along and pour water on it or gasoline....)

I have to realize my little sparks are passed on and be aware of what kind of spark I want to pass. As I thought again of the words to that old song, they rang true. God's love, filling my heart, can be passed on to my children as I love on them.

We love because He first loved us. I allow God to fill my heart, so I can spill over and splash on them. If I am close in relationship with God, getting him to splash on me, I can pass that on, and they wilkl
learn
receive
hear
and see

His love in me..... and grow to practice it.

Today Abba, help me to pass it on. Fill me up so I can spill out.