Be careful, little eyes

Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see. Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see. There's a Father up above, looking down in tender love, So be careful little eyes, what you see.

You may know it from Sunday school and it sounds so cute when kids are singing it. But think about it. Be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little ears what you hear. Be careful little mouths what you say. Be careful little hands what you touch. Be careful little feet where you go. Those words of caution mean nothing if they come from a person who doesn't practice what she preaches. I can tell my daughters a hundred times a day not to do something, but if I do it then what am I teaching them? If I curse or call a bad driver an idiot or speak sarcastically or lose my temper - how can I expect them not to do the same? How can I scold them and tell them they're doing something wrong? You can tell your children over and over what to do in life but if you don't actually live it, you're doing them an injustice. Kids don't know enough to not do the wrong things they see other people do. My parents told me not to smoke (sometimes while they were holding a cigarette) and guess what? Yup. Couldn't have been more than 10 years old lighting up cigarettes in the park. There's a song by Casting Crowns that talks about those little eyes watching us. It's called "Slow Fade" and talks about the descent to darkness, how things don't just happen in an instant. Your child won't just overnight turn into a bad student or become promiscuous or act like a bully. These things happen slowly and because of that, you have time to stop it. But you can only stop it if you recognize it in yourself. Don't expect your kids to not try drugs if you smoke marijuana. Don't expect your daughter to not sleep with her boyfriend if you move in with yours before you're married. Don't expect your son to be nice to the "nerdy" kid at school when you call your non-athletic neighbor a pansy behind his back. People never crumble in a day, say the Casting Crowns lyrics. Families never crumble in a day. You don't think about it but what you do today will affect the way your kids are when they're 15 or 30 or 50. Be careful where you walk. Those little feet behind you are sure to follow in your footsteps.