Today was the hottest day on record in our area. I didn’t need the sign outside of Pierce College to tell me that it was 105 degrees; the sweat on my brow after sitting for twenty minutes in the shade was enough. On Saturday, my son and I took a brief reprieve from the heat by going to Jamba Juice.
Apparently so did half of Ventura County. The small storefront was packed. Yet, ever the curious and active toddler, Jonathan set to work exploring the displays of merchandise that adorned the counter. Within a few minutes, I noticed him picking up the assorted energy bars and snacks. He systematically worked his way from one side of the counter to the other, straightening the crooked bars and ensuring that the labels were all facing the same way.
That’s when it hit me: my son has some of me in him. In this case, a lot of me. After less than two years of observation of his parents, Jonathan is actively putting into practice some of our quirks and (okay, I admit it) obsessions.
What brought me pause in Jamba Juice, however, is wondering what else he is picking up from me.
There are definitely parts of our personalities that my husband and I would like to pass on. Yes, organization is on that list. My anxiety over organization, however, would not be one of those things. We have put relatively little effort into teaching Jonathan organization – we only taught him the “Clean Up” song about three weeks ago (he already hums it to himself while putting things away).
I wonder how much of my life and my character are built from my exposure to the people and things around me. It’s often said that character is caught, not taught, but the implications of this are further reaching than I’d like to admit. When I spend my evenings playing Solitaire, what am I catching? What about when our choice for dinner is the food court at the mall on a hot evening? Does this reinforce the consumerism that is so often associated with our culture? Or is it just a convenient alternative to cooking?
Tonight, with the air conditioning at home frantically trying (and failing) to keep up with the temperatures outside, the food court became our best option for dinner. We could have let the dozens of stores turn our attention to increasing our possessions, but instead we limited our intake to dinner and a candy for dessert. The kids’ play area became a place for relationship building with others in our community, and watching another child share with Jonathan enabled us to encourage and thank the parents of that child.
The situations that we find ourselves in often carry with them an assumed result, but ultimately we have the opportunity to influence our part of the world through our actions and the choice we make. And as we continue to be influenced by the things around us, we can intentionally attempt to catch character that is becoming of who we are in Christ.
