The funny thing about people who are self-centered is that they often appear to be totally unaware that they think the world should revolve around them. In fact, confront the far end of the spectrum – a narcissist- and they are likely to respond with “Who, me?”
God wants His people to put others before themselves…. to have servant hearts. To put God in the center of their universe, not themselves. There is a fun activity you can do to help your kids become more aware of when they are shifting into self-centeredness.
Plan an evening or a few hours in the weekend when you can spend time together as a family. Plan to have a meal together and play board games or do some other activity. Before your time together begins. Tell your kids the story of Absalom found in 2 Samuel 13-19, focusing particularly on his moments of pride and vanity. Ask your kids what it means to be self centered. Read 1 Peter 5:6. Point out that “I” is often the antithesis of humility.
Explain that for the rest of the day, the goal is for everyone to avoid saying the words “I, me, my or mine”. Ask your kids why those words when we say or think them can be a sign we are struggling to be humble and may be becoming self-centered. Make a tally sheet for each person. Everyone needs to listen for the “forbidden” words during your family time and keep track of who said them. The winner is the person who said them the least by the end of family time.
End your time together by discussing why God doesn’t want us to be focused on ourselves, but Him and others in life. When you notice bad habits starting up again in the future, you can do the activity again for an awareness check. Raising humble children is the key to their own spiritual health and the health of the church.