Little Children: Character Required for the Kingdom Greg Kaidannek There are many lessons in life for Christians to learn. None are more important than becoming childlike. H ave you ever watched a small child carefully observe an adult
and then try to imitate exactly what they see? Children are natural imi- tators. From their earliest days, they learn by watching, listening, and copying those around them. Researchers have found that imitation is one of the earliest ways children learn and develop. Long before they can fully understand words, children begin observing actions, expressions, and behaviors and attempting to re- produce them. One of the most powerful examples of this happened in my own home. During a basement renovation proj- ect, I was installing baseboard trim as one of the final steps of the work. The closet area was already filled, and the remaining space was very tight. I was positioned inside the closet with my head near the wall, holding a hammer and finishing nails as I carefully com - pleted the job. Suddenly, I felt someone breathing nearby. I turned around and there was my 3 year old son. He was kneeling there wearing his little plastic tool belt from Home Depot and holding his plastic hammer. He had quietly crawled into that cramped space be- cause he wanted to help his dad. My son was not just playing. He was studying. He was copying exactly what he saw me doing because he wanted to learn. Children learn much of what they know through exposure. They observe the examples around
them and often reproduce those ex- amples in their own lives. Because of this, parents and adults have an enor- mous responsibility. We must strive to provide children with the right ex- amples—positive influences, godly instruction, meaningful experienc-
es, and environments that help them grow into God-fearing, confident, capable, emotionally stable, and pro- ductive adults who can then teach the next generation. The Bible reminds us in Psalm 127 verse 3:
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A Good Report, Vol. 2 No. 3
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