Dissipelskap oor die (sk)ouers van ander

Kinders leer dissipelskap oor die skouers van die mense naby hulle. Volwassenes ook. Ons almal volg iemand en is dissipels of studente van die mense wat as voorbeelde in ons lewens optree. Hierdie woord "voorbeeld" is so mooi. As iemand 'n voorbeeld is dan is dit soos 'n prentjie wat voorgehou word. Voorbeelde is baie belangrik vir gesinne en vir die ouer(es) in kinders se lewens. Hierdie ouer(es) sluit natuurlik ooms en tannies, oupas en oupas en vriende van die gesinne in.

Omdat ons almal voorbeelde navolg is een van die belangrikste prosesse in groei om eerlik bewus te raak van die mense op wie se skouers ons staan en oor wie se skouers ons loer. Hierdie kan 'n wonderlike gesprek in gesinne en vriendskappe losmaak. Hoe sal dit lyk as jy in die volgende paar weke 'n aand om 'n tafel met goeie kos reël om saam te praat oor die mense wat jou voorbeelde is? Weet jou kinders wie die voorbeelde in jou lewe is? Dalk kan jy selfs van jou lewende voorbeelde nooi vir die ete en vir hulle dankie sê.

Hoor net hoe mooi skryf Eugene Peterson hieroor:

When I observe the families where parents seem to be doing a good job of living the Christian faith in relation to their children, it is readily apparent that actual practices vary widely. Particular rules, techniques of discipline, variations in strictness and permissiveness — they run the gamut. One thing stands out: these parents, seriously, honestly, joyfully follow the way of Christ themselves. They don’t define adolescence as a problem and try to solve it. They are engaged in vigorous Christian growth on their own and permit their children to look over their shoulders while they do it. The family is a most useful, maybe the most useful, arena in which to learn the faith. “Family life is like a hall endowed with the finest acoustical properties. Growing children hear not only their parents’ words (and in most cases gradually ignore them), they hear the intentions, the attitudes behind the words. Above all they learn what their parents really admire, really despise. - Peterson, Eugene H. (1994-09-01). Like Dew Your Youth