example

Tonight our youngest son, Kordan, and I were outside playing with my camera, shooting several photos for an upcoming blog.

Kordan excitedly announced that he had found a caterpillar and wondered if it could be in the picture. I agreed, and suggested he pick it up and put it on the rock. He pulled back and shrugged his shoulders, not sure he wanted to touch the creepy crawly.

It was up to me. I contemplated for a moment. It has been many years since a caterpillar last crawled on me. I used to love that feeling–those tiny legs For one second I wasn’t sure I wanted to feel it again… but I had asked my son to do it, thinking he wouldn’t hesitate.

I picked up the fuzzy little critter and placed it on my hand. Kordan watched closely, but leaned away for a while.

“Do you want to hold it?” I asked.

“Not really,” he said hesitantly.

“It feels kind of cool.”

After a moment he decided he wanted to try it. At first he placed his hand on mine, near the caterpillar, but not touching it. A few moments later he bravely let me place it on his hand.

After a few moments, his hand visibly relaxed, as the fear no longer held any power over him.

That made me think about the bigger things in life. What kind of example am I? What kind of leader am I?

The Apostle Paul said, “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” and another translation says, ‘Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)

The greatest influence you or I can offer the world is our example. There is nothing more convincing than our actions.