1 Kings 15:3
“And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.”
Several years ago when my daughter was in elementary school, I was taking her to school as the sun was rising above the horizon. I reached above the sun visor to grab my sunglasses to put them on because the sun was shining in my eyes.
As I brought them to my face, I noticed out of the corner of my eye my daughter raising her sunglasses to her face. I wondered if she was copying me, so instead of putting the glasses on my face, I lowered them to my lap. I watched my daughter lower her sunglasses to her lap just like daddy. Over the next couple of minutes, I watched her raise and lower her sunglasses like her daddy until I finally put them on my face. I was amused at how she was copying her daddy until the Holy Spirit asked me, “If she is copying how you put on your sunglasses, what else is she copying?” This was a very convicting thought because I realized that she was watching everything I did.
Apparently, Abijam copied his father’s ways, but the ways he copied were the sinful ways. The verse above says, “And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him…” It is sad that Abijam didn't walk in the right ways of his father, but in the “sins of his father.” This thought should bring pause to every parent and cause them to realize that their children are copying them. Several thoughts you should take from this story.
First, children rarely walk in the strengths of their parents. Your children will pick up on your weaknesses and will copy them. Think about your weaknesses and ask yourself, would you want your children to copy them? Whether or not you like it, your children will walk in your weaknesses more quickly than your strengths.
Second, your children are watching. Your children see what you think they don't see. You may believe you have everyone fooled, but your children see what you are doing. Even if you have gotten away with hiding a sin from your children, eventually they will catch you doing it. What will you do then? You should always remember that your children are watching.
Third, admit your weaknesses and change your ways. Admitting you have done wrong is not a sign of weakness as long as you change what you are doing. There have been times in my life when I have admitted to my wife and daughter that something I did was wrong. After I admitted my sin, I did everything in my power to change it so that it would never happen again. Don't take on the mentality that you should never admit you were wrong for that will drive your children away. When your children have seen you do wrong, admit it but be sure to change your ways so that it will never happen again. This teaches your children that it’s not okay to admit wrong and never change. They need to learn from your example to admit their wrong and change what they are doing.
Finally, let me point out that, in the end, everyone is responsible for their own actions. You are not excused from your sins just because your parents did the same thing. Don't use your parent’s sins as an excuse to do wrong. Change your ways because you have children who will copy you. Knowing that your children are copying you should motivate you to do right.