“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” -Aristotle
Training, instructing, modeling and requiring our children to learn and show respect was an every day standard in our lives. We believed in high love, demonstrated by words, actions, instruction. We also believed in high training because we knew that deep in our children’s hearts was a desire to access their potential, to become excellent, strong.
Our goal wasn’t to manipulate them into “being good” by control, but to reach their hearts to envision, imagine, to love goodness. We wanted them to picture themselves as being those who lived to bring light, love, goodness, wisdom to their worlds. We gave them a vision that it was the potential that God designed them with from the beginning. Jesus was our model, our gracious teacher of godliness.
Rembrandt became an excellent painter of light, beauty by practicing his skill over years. A master pianist we know became an accomplished concert performer by practice and growing strong in their skills. So it is with godly character—instruction, training, practice.
The character that is habituated to improving, developing integrity by practice, stretching to work hard, to do the best, to exceed expectations comes from daily practice and personal choices.
Those whose ideals are set high to aim each day to pursue those ideals will have the opportunity to become excellent in any field. Their virtuous muscle grows strong from use.
This comes from an inner grid, the way one learns to see life and expects himself to live. We called this "self-government." We taught our children that they had to access their own strength by making virtuous choices, by practicing being strong—and we believed forward in their potential and loved Jesus in front of them daily as their source of strength.
For more, read Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson, my husband.
