The Power of Imitation

“He should also be taught what the atmosphere of married life was intended by God to be. The best thing godly parents can do here is provide the children with several decades of viewing consistent Christian living within marriage — in the home in which they were born. The value of this is inestimable. The Bible teaches that we learn by imitation (1 Cor. 4:16;11:1). Paul calls upon Christians to imitate him as he imitates Christ. We find a similar teaching Ephesians 5:1, where it says we are to be followers, imitators, as children of God and we are to walk in love. Children learn by imitation. At birth, all of our children enroll in an 18-20 year course entitled, ‘How to Treat a Husband or Wife.’ How father and mother speak to one another is constantly being soaked up by the children. Of course, this does not mean children are stuck with every bad lesson they were ever taught. We know and acknowledge that all parents are sinners. No parent is a perfect example, but even when parents sin, they may still provide a good example of how to humbly confess and acknowledge the wrong” (Her Hand in Marriage, pp. 36-37).