The Power of the Cross
Over the past few years in public school systems across Canada, the term "Character Education" has become a buzz phrase. Educators have realised that children are becoming head-smart in their knowledge, but not heart-smart - that is, not knowing how to act and being able to differentiate between right and wrong. By instilling the values of Character Education - such as respect, integrity, tolerance, citizenship, and responsibility - educators hope that children will build upon these traits as a foundation upon which to make day-to-day choices.
As much as I appreciate the school boards' efforts to better our children and give them more of a conscience, it seems to me that there is something lacking. Many of these character traits are things that, when that time comes, I hope to instill in my own children. Perhaps we need to take the focus off how to make ourselves better people, and move that focus to making us better servants.
II Peter 1:5-8 (NIV)
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. {read in context}
The foundation of one's life should be faith, and according to the scriptures, it is upon this that the seven "character values" (or virtues) are built. Once we have faith, we need to seek goodness - that is, not only having a desire to do what is right, but also acting upon this desire to help others as well as ourselves. Doing good in every part of our lives. Knowing the difference between right and wrong.
Once we have goodness, knowledge is the next thing that we need. Let's use the analogy of a doctor: a doctor might have all the goodness in the world with a desire to help as many people as possible; however, without proper knowledge about medicine and the human body, the doctor will probably end up making tons of mistakes and hurt quite a few people. In the same way, we might have all the good intentions in the world and a desire to help, but unless we know how to apply this goodness, we're doomed to failure. We need a combination of booksmarts and practical experience to gain this knowledge.
Goodness and knowledge are important, but we need self-control to help us exercise when to use them (or not use them). A good friend not only knows how to support or help a companion, but also when to offer this help. Self-control is being able to control our own actions and thoughts so that our use of knowledge is effective. Knowing when or when not to do something.
Perseverance is being able to "keep on keeping on" - that is, keeping the self-control going even when the going gets tough. It can be hard to keep helping someone out or to keep working in a rough situation; however, with perseverance, we can keep trucking along even when the going gets tough. Not just taking initiative in starting a job, but also finishing it with excellence. Taking heart and not giving up until the bitter end, regardless of the circumstance.
That said, if we are persevering, we must make sure that we're not seeking after our own desires or our own goals; we need to look heavenward to seek after godliness - that is, being like God. It is not through our own power that we can become close to God, but through the power of the cross. We need to become like God in every aspect of our lives, inward and outward.
As we become more and more godlike, we will see an outworking in our lives. We will show brotherly kindness - being kind to not only our brothers, sisters, families, and friends, but to all people. It's more than just being friendly or just outwardly kind; it's putting others first and truly caring for them.
And that brings us to love. So many people think that love is the basis upon which we need to base everything else, just like the cliché phrase "all you need is love." However, love is the final outworking of all the virtue in our lives. Once we have our own lives in check and are able to live lives with perseverance and brotherly kindness, it is then that we are fully able to love. (And, if you notice in the scripture above, it says to "possess these qualities in increasing possess", meaning that we should have more love than any of the other virtues.)
It's not through our power that we can achieve faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love; it's through the power of God and the power of the cross. For us to try and cultivate these virtues on our own is futile; but with God, all things are possible. I know where my weaknesses are and which ones to work on; now I must rely in prayer on God for His help in developing these virtues in my life.
As much as I appreciate the school boards' efforts to better our children and give them more of a conscience, it seems to me that there is something lacking. Many of these character traits are things that, when that time comes, I hope to instill in my own children. Perhaps we need to take the focus off how to make ourselves better people, and move that focus to making us better servants.
II Peter 1:5-8 (NIV)
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. {read in context}
The foundation of one's life should be faith, and according to the scriptures, it is upon this that the seven "character values" (or virtues) are built. Once we have faith, we need to seek goodness - that is, not only having a desire to do what is right, but also acting upon this desire to help others as well as ourselves. Doing good in every part of our lives. Knowing the difference between right and wrong.
Once we have goodness, knowledge is the next thing that we need. Let's use the analogy of a doctor: a doctor might have all the goodness in the world with a desire to help as many people as possible; however, without proper knowledge about medicine and the human body, the doctor will probably end up making tons of mistakes and hurt quite a few people. In the same way, we might have all the good intentions in the world and a desire to help, but unless we know how to apply this goodness, we're doomed to failure. We need a combination of booksmarts and practical experience to gain this knowledge.
Goodness and knowledge are important, but we need self-control to help us exercise when to use them (or not use them). A good friend not only knows how to support or help a companion, but also when to offer this help. Self-control is being able to control our own actions and thoughts so that our use of knowledge is effective. Knowing when or when not to do something.
Perseverance is being able to "keep on keeping on" - that is, keeping the self-control going even when the going gets tough. It can be hard to keep helping someone out or to keep working in a rough situation; however, with perseverance, we can keep trucking along even when the going gets tough. Not just taking initiative in starting a job, but also finishing it with excellence. Taking heart and not giving up until the bitter end, regardless of the circumstance.
That said, if we are persevering, we must make sure that we're not seeking after our own desires or our own goals; we need to look heavenward to seek after godliness - that is, being like God. It is not through our own power that we can become close to God, but through the power of the cross. We need to become like God in every aspect of our lives, inward and outward.
As we become more and more godlike, we will see an outworking in our lives. We will show brotherly kindness - being kind to not only our brothers, sisters, families, and friends, but to all people. It's more than just being friendly or just outwardly kind; it's putting others first and truly caring for them.
And that brings us to love. So many people think that love is the basis upon which we need to base everything else, just like the cliché phrase "all you need is love." However, love is the final outworking of all the virtue in our lives. Once we have our own lives in check and are able to live lives with perseverance and brotherly kindness, it is then that we are fully able to love. (And, if you notice in the scripture above, it says to "possess these qualities in increasing possess", meaning that we should have more love than any of the other virtues.)
It's not through our power that we can achieve faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love; it's through the power of God and the power of the cross. For us to try and cultivate these virtues on our own is futile; but with God, all things are possible. I know where my weaknesses are and which ones to work on; now I must rely in prayer on God for His help in developing these virtues in my life.