this might have been a better post for valentine's day, but ah... who am i to celebrate love only on Feb. 14th?!
yesterday's post (healthy, in terms of relationship) made me think a lot about what the Bible says about anger -and i did link that site to all the verses referencing anger in the Bible. but then i got to thinking about the real discussion issue of "disillusioning kids about marriage". my end point was that open communication with the kids about relationships is key.
so, how do you open lines of communication about relationships with your kids??? well, i think that probably the best place to start is by teaching them about love -from a Biblical standpoint.
what is love? 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 familiarly states what TRUE LOVE really is, " Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (NLT)
something that i was taught, that i appreciate every single day of my life, is that love isn't a feeling. if you look at the above verses, does it say ANYWHERE anything about feelings? does it say, love feels patient and feels kind? does it say, when you're in love you feel not jealous or boastful or proud or rude? no. no no no. love IS patient. love IS kind... rejoices whenever the truth wins out... IS always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
what is love? 1 john 4: 7-12, 16-19 deepens our level of love by challenging us in our faith, "7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us...
16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.19 We love each other* because he loved us first." why do we CHOOSE to love??? because He first loved us!
what do you think? what are some things that you do to open communication with your kids about relationships?
Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
yesterday's post (healthy, in terms of relationship) made me think a lot about what the Bible says about anger -and i did link that site to all the verses referencing anger in the Bible. but then i got to thinking about the real discussion issue of "disillusioning kids about marriage". my end point was that open communication with the kids about relationships is key.
so, how do you open lines of communication about relationships with your kids??? well, i think that probably the best place to start is by teaching them about love -from a Biblical standpoint.
what is love? 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 familiarly states what TRUE LOVE really is, " Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (NLT)
something that i was taught, that i appreciate every single day of my life, is that love isn't a feeling. if you look at the above verses, does it say ANYWHERE anything about feelings? does it say, love feels patient and feels kind? does it say, when you're in love you feel not jealous or boastful or proud or rude? no. no no no. love IS patient. love IS kind... rejoices whenever the truth wins out... IS always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
what is love? 1 john 4: 7-12, 16-19 deepens our level of love by challenging us in our faith, "7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us...
16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.19 We love each other* because he loved us first." why do we CHOOSE to love??? because He first loved us!
what do you think? what are some things that you do to open communication with your kids about relationships?
Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
2 comments:
We try to think of every situation and every topic that comes up as a teachable moment to talk with our kids and get them to think critically on their own. It's through these conversations (teachable moments) that a lot can be taught and learned. We also try to speak truth by speaking Scripture to them like you talked about. I like to think of it as intentionally parenting. We aren't just raising our kids by providing shelter, clothing, and food. We want more than that. We want to not just discipline but actually intentionally train them! =0)
I'm enjoying your thoughts!
i don't talk to em.
i don't have em.
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