Day 30 – Giving Unconditional Love
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:11-12).
How can we show God’s kind of love to our children?
I’m not sure where I got this L-O-V-E-D acronym from, but here are five practical ways to show love to our children, especially those still living at home.
Labor to be there. Our children take attendance. When it matters to them, you need to be there when they need you. Don’t have an agenda. Just be with them.
Observe unqualified love. Not a love based on conditions or performance. Not, “I will love you, if you do this, or if you don’t do that.” Not, “I will love you when you do this.”
Children might be thinking: “Can you love me with my music? Can you love me with this friend? Can you love me with this behavior?” Choose your battles. Say, “I will love you no matter what. You will always belong here.”
Value unrivaled love. Your children know their biggest competition. Are you more consumed with the internet, sports, a hobby, or a project than with them? Set aside these competitors and give them the focused attention they need.
Extend personalized love. You don’t love your children as a group. You love them individually. For a part of every day give each of your children all of you personally.
Develop relational love. Talk with your children every day. Tell them you love them. Touch them with love. Build the relationship. Keep the lines of communication open.
In one study, teenagers were asked, “What thing would you most like to change about your family, if anything?” The most common answer was “I wish I was closer to my parents.”
Parents, your children want to connect with you. Help them know how.
Help your children feel L-O-V-E-D with the same kind of love that God has shown you. God loves your children through you.
Action Step: Give your children the gift of God’s unconditional love.
This is God’s Word for you today,
Pastor Dave
