“Selfish children can’t bless the world, but unselfish children can shower the world with blessings. Take a look at the qualities found in a selfish child versus the qualities found in an unselfish child.
Selfish child: demanding, arrogant, holds grudges, unappreciative, stingy, and lazy. Unselfish child: empathetic, grace-filled, forgiving, grateful, generous, helpful. How, then, do we cultivate generous, unselfish children? Teach them to live with open hands and open hearts…Show your children how to love others generously…
Give the gift of prayer for someone who needs God’s help. Let your children see you “praying on the spot” for those who need it…Give a helping hand to strangers and friends alike…Give a word of encouragement to someone.”
Jill Rigby in Raising Unselfish Children in a Self-Absorbed World (New York: Howard, 2008) 185-186.
Rigby inspired me this morning. Let’s live in such a way that if someone shot a video of us today for the young people in our lives to watch, they would see practical ways to show God’s love from our example.
Father in Heaven, help us model for our children, for others’ children, and for our children’s children how to live with open hands and open hearts so that our lives reflect Christ’s love to a self-absorbed world. Amen.