Kids say the darndest things.
But more often than not, kids say things that sound an awful lot like what their parents say. Our kids look up to us, respect us, and learn from us. They get their social cues by mimicking ours, and in many respects, this can be a great blessing.
For example, I make it a point to always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and there is nothing as great as hearing my children do the same. In fact, I no longer need to prompt them to do it, and I am blessed when others tell me how polite my children are.
But then again, there was that time we were at a traffic light, and the car in front of us was not exactly quick about going when the light turned green. From his booster seat, my youngest son yelled out, “Come on man! Green means go!”
I knew right away exactly where he had heard it, and it did not sound so great coming from him.
Our kids spend time with us, and so they sound like us. So how do we make sure that we speak the way we want them to speak?
Matthew 26:73 relates a story that is familiar to many of us. In this passage, Jesus has been arrested, and Peter is fearfully trying to keep his distance, and pretending he doesn’t even know Him. Peter was able to deny it to the first two accusers. But a third accuser said “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.”
Some scholars say that this could refer to Peter’s Galilean accent, which was different from the accents spoken in Jerusalem. But what is most striking is simply that Peter spoke like one who had been with Jesus. The way he talked made it clear that he was a disciple.
There was no hiding it.
Even in denial, his voice was clearly the voice of “one of them”. He had simply spent so much time with Jesus, that he could not hide it in his voice.
The lesson for us?
Spend time in the Word, spend time in prayer, and you too will begin to sound like Jesus. Because our kids say things that sound an awful lot like what we say.