Influence...

I Timothy 4:12 "...you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

It's something we forget about, the influence we have on others. Especially surprising is a child's revelation about some characteristic they've seen. Children watch... and learn. Take Dalton for example. I teach elementary school boys on Wednesday night. In addition to lessons about God and missionaries, we play rough and rowdy games, say pledges and such... real man stuff. Tonight was no different, and before we were finished, the girls let out of their class. A couple of them stopped at our door as we finished our closing prayer and started into the room. One of my boys called out, "Hey, no girls aloud!" I smiled proudly, and chuckled to myself, "The 'He-man Woman Haters Club' is alive and well."

As we were leaving, the boys asked if we could go to the gym. They said they wanted to go where the girls were not. I asked why and they responded, "They're bossy." I laughed and said I had to go to choir practice, so they would have to go to the playground with the girls. As we descended the stairs, Dalton said, "Not our sisters... it's..." and named the "bossy" one. Again I smiled, and as we stepped out of the building, they took off running. But Dalton stayed back. As he and I walked, he spoke up again.

"I'm never going to date a girl!"

"Oh?" I replied. "Never?"

He thought for a moment and then said...

"Yeah... like you..."