Beyond Being Polite

The boys (and I) have been learning about the Middle Ages, including castles, knights and other exciting medieval stuff. I was particularly fascinated to learn how a man went about becoming a knight. In a nutshell, when a noble boy reached age 21, if he had been a good squire and learned his lessons, he had the opportunity to become a knight.

Special preparations were made for the big day when he would be dubbed, including taking a bath (a pretty rare occurrence in those times) and spending the previous night at church praying. He would then take a vow to be brave and good, to fight for the Christian religion, to protect the weak, and to honor women.

Reading this, I was inspired. Using good manners is a big deal at our house, but I dream of our sons going so far beyond merely being polite to being truly chivalrous, making these vows the knights took into a way of life. So of course my mind starts racing to come up with ways to encourage our sons to live like this and act like this, but eventually Truth catches up with me and I realize that training their bodies and their habits will avail them nought if that is all the deeper I go. (Yes, nought. What can I say. The Middle Ages are rubbing off on me.)

If they have the manners, bravery and nobility of knights, but have not love, they are nothing.

So we're back to the basics. Love the Lord you God with all your heart, mind and strength, and love your neighbor (or your brother) as yourself. Yes, Wade and I still have to teach and model for them specific ways to love others (including opening doors for ladies), but chivalry should be a result of the love of Jesus inside them, not an end in itself.

Realizing this makes everything so much simpler and more complicated all at once. Can't we just have them take a bath and get dubbed?