All parents long for their children to establish convictions that will carry them through tough times. Sometimes those convictions help them control their own emotions. Other times, that internal foundation helps them do what's right when others are tempting them to do wrong. Responsibility, in part, is staying true to personal values even when no one is watching. It's been said you can tel a lot about who a person really is by what he does in private, not just how he acts in front of others. Convictions become the moral pillars in our lives that keep us on track.
Moses told the people to put the commands of God "upon your hearts" (Deut. 6:6). When David described the righteous person in Psalm 37;31, he wrote, "The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip." "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat" (Dan 1:8) When Jeremiah described the new covenant God would establish, he wrote that it would be different from the stone tablets of the old covenant. God said, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts" (Jer 31:33)
Jack decided he wouldn't watch a certain TV show at his friend's house because he knew his parents wouldn't approve. Marvin chose to turn in the watch he found at school because he knew keeping it would be wrong. These kids wanted to hold true to something they believed in. Those convictions determined the choices they made.
Some children do a better job of developing convictions than others, but all need guidance in this area. When should you stand up for yourself and when should you be a servant? What does honesty look like in tough situations? How do you balance telling the truth and being gracious?
Your children likely have convictions already. Do you know what they are? What convictions are you trying to pass on? Do you have a plan for teaching them? These are heart issues and become the schoolhouse for the family.
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