Is Your Child Good?

“You have good kids”, she told me as we sat sharing a cup of coffee and catching up on life. I smiled, not sure how to respond.

Yes, in God’s grace, I do have ‘good’ kids… IF you mean it in the sense that they are pointed (with hearts and feet) in the direction of learning & following after God.

At least for today.

And I knew what she meant. They mostly are polite, make good choices a majority of the time, are friendly, upbeat, respectful; often they surprise even Jon & me.

And yes, to the best of our knowledge, they do not do drugs, have multiple piercings, spike gothic black hair OR are frequently escorted home in a police car.

Comparatively speaking to this world, we are very blessed.

But…good kids?

Do any of us really have good kids?

I think it folly to believe ourselves nor to give our children the false impression that their hearts, minds, inclinations or even actions are intrinsically good.

The only good that comes is from an outside (or from One who indwells and gives) influence.

What comes from within themselves is largely suspect.

This is true for my kids….and equally true with me.

I am better off to suspect my heart, for it is usually self-seeking.

My desires, decisions, responses, affections and worship…

Apart from God & His ongoing sanctifying work…they are FAR from good.

If you start believing that your kids are ‘good’, give pause & reflect where the end of this thinking will get you (or them). Nowhere good.

Instead, help them create and maintain a healthy distrust of themselves apart from God.

God’s pretty clear on that: “There is none that is good; there is none that seeketh after God.”

Even after salvation & God’s transforming work, we still struggle against sin and our deceitful hearts; we yearn for sanctification’s consummation in eternity .

Until then….we must keep an accurate, balanced evaluation of our kids’ (or our own) goodness.

I like how the following statement says it,

“Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride

Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair.

Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness.”

~Blaise Pascal