PASAHERO ACT 3: Being A Generous Example

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you.

He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.1 Pt. 2:21

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, 
and his righteousness with their children's children. Psalm 103:17

Are you aware that you’re like a signage?

Yes, whether you like it or not, there were times that people consider you as one. I’m not sure what kind of signage you are but maybe there are times that you look like a No U-turn sign, a pedestrian lane, or maybe a DANGER ZONE warning (just kidding).

Okay, before I elaborate my point, allow me to tell you a story about an unusual driver who happens to have an unusual signage experience.

There was this car driving very slowly down the highway when a patrol officer pulls it over. "What have I done wrong, officer?" the driver asks.

"You’re going 26mph on a major highway. There’s a law against that." the officer says to the driver. "You must go at least 50mph." He continues.

"But when I turned on the highway, the sign said 26!" the driver replies.

"HA HA HA!" The officer laughs out loud. "That’s because this is Interstate 26! The 26 isn't the speed limit!"

The driver leans back in her car seat and the cop sees another woman sitting beside her. She looked as pale as a ghost."What happened to her?" the officer asks.

"I don't know, but she has been that way ever since we got off of Interstate 160."

You’re A Walking Signage

The story maybe more funny than true but the fact that street signs have this ability to influence our behavior is undeniable. Take a look for example, traffic lights- green makes our car go, red stops it, and yellow prepares it to run or to slow down. 

Not only that, they are almost everywhere to guide us in our travel. How many times we look for street signs to direct us to an unfamiliar place we want to go? Yes, whether we’re on the street, government or private buildings, or inside the malls, signage are there communicating to help us find our destination.

If signage has this ability to communicate and influence our behavior, how much more we as human beings! We all have the power to influence one’s attitude and behavior. So I believe that there are times that we act like walking signage to people around us. What I mean is that there are people who look after us for guidance and whether we intend it or not, they will follow or imitate us.

Like Father Like Son

I come to realize this more now that my son is already starting to learn to do things by himself. One evening, while letting him brush his teeth, I was surprised to see that his manner has a resemblance of mine. I do not know how you brush but I have this habit that when I gurgle, I sip some amount of water and stick my brush in (you know, for final retouch). Surprisingly, I noticed him doing the same. I never taught him that way but I’m sure he learned it from me. Not only that, sometimes the way he scratch his eyes, his nose or his head, he will not be mistaken that he’s really my son.

I believe that this is not only true to me because I’m a father to someone. What I think is that whether you’re a teacher or a student, a mother or a daughter, an employer or a worker, a driver or a passenger- whoever you are, you’re in a position where your words and actions are keenly observed by someone. And the truth is: whether they‘re good or bad, right or wrong, true or false, they can direct and someone will follow them.

Why I’m telling you this?

Because this is the foundation of the third pasahero act: being a generous example. And there are two things that I would like you to know and remember about this:

First, you have the power to influence people.

Second, you're responsible to all people you're influencing.

You Have the Power to Influence People

The early part of this post already explains this idea so I will no longer elaborate this for now. Rather, I just want to invite you to think about this thought coming from one of my favorite authors John Maxwell. In his book Becoming a Person of Influence, he wrote:

“You don’t have to be in a high-profile occupation to be a person of influence. In fact, if your life in any way connects with other people, you are an influencer. Everything you do at home, at church, in your job, or on the ball field has an impact on the lives of other people.”

      Think about that.

You're Responsible for All People You're Influencing

Because of this power, it's also important to remind ourselves that we are all responsible for our words and actions especially in front of the young.

Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers knows this as a fact when he said: “For many my behavior has been a major disappointment, my behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners, and everyone involved in my business, but most importantly to the young people we influence, I apologize.”

This is also what the bible wants us to understand when Yahweh commanded his people to always follow his will. He said:

I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected--even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. Ex. 20:5

Did you notice? The children will also suffer because of the sin committed by their parents. Not only that, its effect will be felt until the third and fourth generations! How sad.

You may be tempted now to think that we have an unjust God. Why punish children for the sin of their parents? Wait a minute. Let me stop you to think that way because in the first place, God doesn’t want to see us suffer. He’s not a masochist god who enjoys when He finds us poor, hungry or sick- if ever we suffer, it’s because of the sins we committed (or of others) and He is actually saddened by that.

So why God spoke this way? He is actually revealing to us one effect of sin. Its ‘spiral’ effect. What do we mean by this? It means that sins are like viruses, they are contagious, therefore has a riffle effect. If not stopped from its very core, it has the power to replicate itself in every negative way beyond we can imagine. This gave the sins of our parents the ability to punish us. And unless we learn and try to change our own way of life and become good examples, the next generations (sad to say, our sons and daughters and our grand children) are bound to suffer. 

Take a look at corruption, poverty, and disasters. Generations after generations suffered because of these, and their root cause is traceable from the generations who are gone before us. Because many of them were not able to teach us how to really live good lives, we are also now experiencing hard time to become good examples to our young.

You Cannot be Generous Unless You Can Give Good Examples

This is the reason why it is about time to learn from the past, to ‘take charge’ and become good or generous examples. Still, I believe that our present generation has the power to prepare a more wonderful and generous world. And we can do this through our good examples in words and deeds- yes, whether in front or behind our children. If we can do this, there will really be a more beautiful world waiting for them. This is actually a reality that God also reveals to us through the great psalmist:

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children.  Psalm 103:17

So the choice is really in our hands. If we really love our children, we will love the persons whom they will love the most in the future- our grandchildren. I invite you now not only to be generous in material things to them, but more than that may you become more generous to them in giving good examples. Because the thing is- things will perish but our generous examples have the power to inspire them eternally.

Let us also be generous examples to our neighbors, to our co-workers to our co-passengers- actually to everyone people we meet. Let us provide good examples every time, everywhere and in every possible way. It is one of the traits of a generous person. Actually, one cannot exist without the other. You can’t really be a generous person without being a good example and you cannot become a good example without being a generous person. Think about that.

Be a good influence.

Be a generous person.

Be a generous example.