A few months ago we prayed about loving God, this month our prayer focus is on loving others. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Then He added, the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself”(Matthew 23: 34-40).
How hard can it be for our kids to love you may ask? After all, they are the cutest and sweetest beings! Well, it doesn’t take a long time before you start seeing traits of selfishness, jealously, envy, sibling rivalry to name a few. These little cute ones were born in sin like every one of us, and are therefore tempted to always think about themselves first before anyone else. As a result, loving others wouldn’t come naturally.
These little cute ones were born in sin like every one of us, and are therefore tempted to always think about themselves first before anyone else. As a result, loving others wouldn’t come naturally.
Like Adults, our kids will struggle with accepting their friends, loving their siblings, sharing their toys or screen time. They will complain when they don’t win a school race or maybe become jealous when someone else is chosen for something they thought they should be doing. They will face these situations over and over again and learning to talk to us about their emotions is good, but learning to talk to God in prayer about their feelings and how to act in love is more important.
Thank God we have a perfect example of love, God Himself. The Bible tells us that God is love! He loved us while we were still sinners and this is why Christ went to the cross for us. If we and our kids will ever be able to love others the way God wants us to, then we need God’s help to do so. As we love others we are showing them that we know God and we are His disciples (John 13: 35).
This month as our kids pray about how to love others, we pray that their hearts will be filled with the love of God and be transformed by it. May all they do be done with love.
