How Can We Love Our Kids Unconditionally?
Sometimes it is easier than others to show love to our kids no matter what they have done or are doing. Alysa reminds us how we can consistently and unconditionally love like our heavenly Father.
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
A wise man in my church was once asked, “What is your philosophy behind parenting? How do you love your kids so well?” His answer was simple, yet so profound, “I look at all the ways God has loved me, and I do my best to love my kids the same way.”
One amazing thing about this man is that he has five adopted children. None of them are of his physical DNA. Yet they belong to him, and he loves them as if they came from his own genes.
So, what are the ways our heavenly Father has loved us, and how can we display that unconditional love to our kids?
- God displayed His infinite love by making the greatest sacrifice for us. God sent His only Son to die a horrible death on a cross for the sins of undeserving people like us. If this doesn’t make us feel overwhelmingly loved without even the slightest ability to repay, I don’t know what will. We can first love our kids by introducing them to the greatest love and sacrifice they will ever know. Introducing them to the One who has given so much for them will change their lives in a way that nothing else will. We can also show a glimpse of this love to our children by sacrificing our desires in order to love them. They will feel love when they see mom and dad will putting down whatever we are doing to attend to their needs.
- Even when we take from God our Father and run away, He welcomes us back with a genuine celebration. Have you ever read the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32)? If not, go read it right away. You can return to this once you’ve wiped away your tears and finished worshipping our gracious Father. This story makes me weep. We are all that lost son, and the truth is, our children will most likely take from us like the younger son in the story did from his father- without thought or care for us. We can display unconditional love to them by welcoming them home with open arms and a celebration. We can avoid the scolding and embrace them and kiss them although they do not deserve it, we love them anyway.
God has modeled the perfect love for us. Learning more about this love and loving our children the way we’ve experienced from Him is a terrific way to teach them about their good, good Father.
Camper Corner:
Have you ever felt loved by your parents in a special way…maybe when you felt like you didn’t deserve how they loved you? Tell them how much that meant to you and thank them!
