Counsels on Relationships

Counsel #20 — Morally Grounded

Picture: Counsel #20 — Morally Grounded CR 225.1

What guides your decisions when no one else is around? In a family setting, how you choose to uphold or compromise your values has ripple effects. Children are sponges, and even subtle shifts in honesty, integrity, or discipline can reshape a home’s culture over time. CR 225.2

Setting moral standards as a family means agreeing on what you will and won’t tolerate due to spiritual conviction. What kind of movies do you watch? How do you all speak to each other when you’re angry? Does your household model forgiveness, accountability, and truth, even when it’s uncomfortable? Contrary to what most people in the world believe, God’s Word isn’t a list of outdated rules. Rather, it’s a framework for peace, joy, and wholeness. When families commit to walking in righteousness, even imperfectly, they can create an atmosphere where both parents and children lead a life of integrity. When all is said and done, how parents treat each other, their kids, and the household will always set the stage for a home to follow Christ, or the world.^[236] CR 225.3

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Proverbs 11:3 NIV CR 225.4

“True dignity of character is very rare. True modesty and reserve are seldom seen.” Ellen White in Maranatha, p. 153 CR 225.5

Reflect: Are the choices you’re making today helping your family grow in integrity, or presenting a double standard? CR 225.6