Righteous Living

by Francine Biere
Published February 15, 2006

Doesn't everyone seek righteousness?

I don't think so. If they do, many seek it for themselves. We see that everyday. People search for ways to fulfill their own desires, dreams, wants, and goals. I mean, after all, how often do folks rejoice when something goes wrong in their lives?

Righteousness has many names … virtue, morality, justice, decency, honesty. I think there are many who desire these things – at least, for themselves.

Nevertheless, in the process of doing so, it's easy to overlook the big picture.

Do our own wants and needs impede others' search for righteousness? It's easy to answer "no," but the easy answer isn't always the way to truth. Sometimes the right thing is to sacrifice our own dreams and goals to support or lend a hand to others.

Everyone wants a decent place in which to live. Many work hard to provide a home for their loved ones, but there are those who fail. It's easy to talk about helping, however, just look at how people react when they discover a homeless shelter is planned in their community – or worse, just down the street. The humanitarian response is to provide for those less fortunate than ourselves. Many people do, just not in their own backyards.

Virtue is another quality most strive to achieve. But what about when being virtuous costs money. Many couples live together because they will lose benefits like health care, housing assistance, or childcare once they marry. Virtue is fine unless it's felt in our pocket book.

Sometimes we become so complacent in our own comfort zones that we fail to see we've traded righteousness for something easier and undemanding. Instead of taking the time to do the right thing, we selfishly sacrifice integrity. It could be in our relationships with family and friends or in taking a stand against the world's view. Silence sometimes speaks more loudly than a thousand voices. Just flip through what's offered on television or look at the movies produced today. Even more heartbreaking, look at the growing statistics of teen drug abuse and suicide, or the increase in teenage sexually transmitted diseases. Time seems a precious commodity few are willing to spend on others. Too often, we'd rather invest our efforts in stocks than the future generation.

Ours is not a perfect society, but when we seek to satisfy our own needs, we sacrifice so much more. In the end, we all pay the price.

What if our own hunger and thirst after righteousness encompassed the same for others? If we reverse the verse and use it as a guide for how we treat people, it doesn't take a genius to see how living this beatitude can be a deep reflection of loving others God's way.

Viewed 461 times