A Prayer for Children: Honesty and Integrity

Programmed to love

Integrity and honesty. These are big ideas for young people and can even be challenging for us older ones. What do we mean by integrity and honesty? Is there one Truth, and/or are there individual truths depending on our own YOU-niqueness and values?

Let’s consider the Truth that our children are whole, perfect, and complete, made in the image and likeness of God, as are we. We are born with an inner guidance system that is tuned to the frequency of love.

Then where does the static or disconnection come from? The simple answer—fear. While love always remains, fear can drown it out.

Ideas, often appearing as “shoulds,” get piled on to our unique essence from culture, school, family, and peers. Children may hide their inner light, afraid of failing or disappointing the adults around them.

Yet when children are given the opportunity to stay tuned in to love, their own unique genius, gifts, and talents have the space to emerge. They can create a life that is their own expression of Source.

When we feel the “shoulds”—where there is struggle, where things aren’t working—there is often a lack of integrity. We can inquire into what feels off with our children, helping them tune in to the answers they have inside.

One way is to ask our children (and ourselves) whether what we think, say, and do are in alignment. For example:

• Do we know that sugar bothers us, but we eat the cookie anyway?
• Do we know we have homework to do, but we beg for one more hour of a video game or TV?
• Do we not want to go to a certain party, but we go to look cool?
• Do we want to stand up for the classmate being bullied, but we are afraid of what others might say or do?

At times being honest or staying in integrity with what we believe is not popular. It may cause us to disagree or even argue with others. This can be healthy as long as we remember to keep an open mind, knowing that our way isn’t always the right way. Share with your children that it is okay to disagree with others, and it’s still possible to be respectful.

Let’s remember they are watching us, and we are all going and growing through this beautiful, though at times messy, life together.

A Prayer for Honesty and Integrity in My Beloved Child and All Children

I take three deep breaths in, centering myself in the awareness that I AM and WE ARE whole, perfect, and complete. I give thanks knowing that I am, as are all children, made in the image and likeness of God. I tune in to the frequency of love and ask that I think, speak, and act from my heart center. I ask that the veil of fear be lifted and our children have the freedom to rise, shine, and lead with love.

A Shared Family Prayer for Honesty and Integrity

Placing both hands on our chest, we breathe in to our heart center, knowing that we are connected to and through God. We feel our connection to our family, our friends, our community, our country, and the world. We ask for help in treating one another and our planet the way we would want to be treated. We know that we can always tune in to our own inner guidance system, which is programmed to love, and it will help us make the best and brightest choices in every situation. We give thanks for the ability to choose wisely and to choose love.

Together we affirm our honesty and integrity: