Amish Children

An author for Readers Digest once wrote how he studied the Amish people in preparation for an article on them. In his observation at one of the school yards, he noted that the children never screamed or yelled.
This amazed him.
I mean, have you ever been around a playground with a bunch of kids? All they do is run around and scream.
Intrigued and honestly dumbfounded at the amount of discipline these kids had, he spoke to the schoolmaster. He remarked how he had not once heard an Amish child yell, and asked why the schoolmaster thought that was so.

Do they know how to have fun? They looked like they were.

Are they little balls of energy like any other kids? They were running around like crazy and they were all smiling and laughing with each other.

The schoolmaster simply replied, "Well, have you ever heard an Amish adult yell?"

Our actions really do have a way of impacting others. People follow what they see more than what they are told.

Are you aware of who is watching you?
Do you realize the influence you have on others?

These Amish kids didn't have any kind of reference point to think that yelling was fun or even acceptable... because what their parents and community modeled was soft spoken, loving speech.

The point is not whether yelling is right or wrong, though no one really appreciates being yelled at... but that what we model is what we teach. What we model shows where our true values lie.

When people look at you, what do they see?

What are you modeling for those who look up to/ at you?

Readers Digest story from Counter Attack, Jay Carty, Multnomah Press, 1988, p. 41ff

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Nathan Bryant

is a pastor living in Phoenix, AZ. As a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri he majored in Biblical Leadership, New Testament Studies, and Missiology. Nathan has a combined passion for unity and discipleship in the global church.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.

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