What I Like About You

As Noah is getting older, I’ve found myself wondering how to teach him to be a good man. A kind man. A brave man. How do I teach him to be sensitive, while at the same time knowing when a situation needs him to be more assertive? How does we teach him to keep his gentle nature, while also recognising the fierceness that is deep within him?

In light of this, I’ve also been thinking of our Village – that close-knit group of people who we love and adore, family and friends who are some of our favourite people on this earth. This is a group of some of the finest people we know, who have some amazing qualities- qualities I would love to see in my Noah. In fact, we see these qualities in him already, and now we want to nurture them as he becomes a young man.

Here are my top 5 qualities that I see in some of my favourite people, and what I hope my Noah will place a high value on as he grows up.

Be Kind.

Always. It is so easy to show kindness to those around you. And it costs you nothing. Your act of kindness towards someone may be just what they need in that moment, to help them get through the day. You just never know. May my Noah always understand the value and importance of kindness, as it is modelled to him by Jason and I and our Village.

Integrity

You cannot compromise on integrity. Each person in our Village places such a high value on integrity, and it shows in how they live their lives. They are people who stand firmly behind their principals. And they show kindness to people who may challenge their principals. They are honest, sometimes brutally honest, but we always know it is coming from a place of love. May my Noah never compromise on his integrity.

Show Grace

My hope and prayer is that my Noah will strive to show grace to those around him who may need it. Everyone needs a little grace every now and then. This is something that I am ashamed to admit that I struggle with sometimes. When I struggle, I have the example of some amazing family and friends to remind me. They lovingly remind me that my God shows me grace everyday, so why do I not show that same grace to others? So while I am learning this, and doing my best to live this out practically, my prayer is that my Noah will see me trying, and strive to treat those around him the same way.

Respect

Everyone wants to be respected. But not everyone knows how to show respect. I Googled the definition of respect, and loved this line:

“Due regard for the feelings, wishes or rights of others’”

This pretty much sums up some of the awesome people who make up our Village. May my Noah grow up showing respect to everyone who crosses his path. May he show respect for their feelings, their wishes and their rights. And may he always feel respected for his feelings, his wishes and his rights.

Have Faith, Trust God

This is a biggie for us. It is something we have been trying to teach Noah from baby days. Have faith. In yourself. In those around you. And most importantly, in God. Our family is in a season where our ability to have faith and trust God is being stretched. And as tough as it is in this moment, we know we’re going to get through to the other side and be stronger for it. We also have some amazing friends and family who live this out so practically – it helps us so much. It reminds us to keep going, especially on the tough days. May my Noah remember these faith-stretching times our family goes through. May he also remember those who walked this road alongside us. May he remember these moments, and fully trust God, when he faces faith-stretching moments in his life.

These are just some of the qualities I love about some of my favourite people. My prayer is that my Noah will see these being modelled out by all these amazing people, and want these for his life. I love the young boy he is already, and I love the young man he is growing up to be. He already shows these qualities and then some! I can’t wait to see him develop into the strong, kind, caring, compassionate young man I know God has created him to be.

What are some of your favourite qualities that draws you to particular people? I’d love to know!