Righteous or Self-Righteous

Even small children are known by their actions,

so is their conduct really pure and upright? Proverbs 20:11

We are doing our best to raise children that know right from wrong. Children that show respect to adults and kindness to others. I love to receive positive comments about our children's behavior and I share them with them. However, the past two days I have been thinking about our children and if they are truly making good choices or just becoming self-righteous. 

According to Dictionary.com, self-righteous is defined as: "having or showing an exaggerated awareness of one's own virtuousness or rights." We all know people that we think are self-righteous, and they usually make us feel poorly about ourselves. We can feel judged, looked down upon and of less value than others. This is certainly not how I want our family to make others feel.

So, how do we encourage our children to have actions that are pure and upright without declaring to everyone else that their actions are wrong? How do I continue to encourage parents to raise righteous children without appearing self-righteous? How do we as Christians live worthy lives without alienating the very people we are trying to reach? 

Well, I certainly don't know all the answers, but my thought would be by admitting our sin and our desperate need for Christ. Our children need to know that their actions should be upright because of what Christ has done for them, not only because of what I have asked. I need to remember to be real and to show that I fall short every hour of everyday. We as believers need to allow Christ to shine through our weakness and know that in our weakness He is glorified even more.

Parenting is not a competition, but a journey that we can share. Our family is far from perfect, and I know that I make mistakes every day. I apologize if I have ever made you feel judged or of less value than you truly are. You are a precious creation of our amazing God, who loves us even though we can't go through a day without going against His commands. He is truly righteous.

Today we are going to talk with our children about their actions. Each day I am going to try and help them see that their actions are a reflection of Christ's love for them and that they desperately need His love and forgiveness.....just like everyone else. We are not going to stop trying to raise righteous children, we are just going to try to help them see that they are righteous because of Christ's sacrifice and not because of themselves.

May you truly be blessed as you work to raise the little blessings God has given you!