Bickering floats through the air as we are on our way to Awanas. My children, who are blessings from the Lord, argue and complain to each other.
“Mom, she is humming too loud!”
“Mom, she is on my side and is leaning her arm against me!”
“MOOOOM! He just stuck his tongue out at me!”
I sigh.
Do you ever sigh?
I want them to love each other. To love our little family. To love the church. To love others. And most importantly, to love God.
Sometimes, when these daily episodes of selfishness and irritation creep in, I have to remind myself that they are learning. They are sinners, just like me. So I will sigh and recall this truth.
I don’t always respond the way I should either, even though I love all of them deeply.
As we go into this weekend, I am prodded by this verse in Matthew, where Jesus tells us the greatest commandments. There are only two and they both involve LOVE.
“You shall LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second like it is this, you shall LOVE your neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:36-39
As we roll into Valentine’s Day, I know it is a consumer holiday. But I can’t help it, I want to buy my kids candy and gifts because I love them. Remember, my love language is “gifts”.
But more than that, I want them to know God’s love, which they will learn from me first, before they know it is God.
By a kind word.
By a helping hand.
By time spent with them.
By a smile when they come in the room.
By a kiss and a story before bed.
By daily prayers for them.
They will never know how much I love them until they have children of their own.
Until then, Bruce and I will be God’s love to them, until they own their faith.
One way we help them see how to love others is my surrounding them with great examples. We hang out with cool people who serve and love Jesus. We discipline them when they do something wrong because we love them. We engage with community in love and generosity. We watch movies that bring out the good and love in others. We READ BOOKS that focus on the love of others.
If you are looking for a good Valentine’s Day present for your princess this Valentine’s Day, may I suggest one of our Princess Parables books? Each of them was birthed out of LOVE and teaches Love.
Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure shows the love between a child and her grandmother. She would sell everything she owns to buy her lost ring.
Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessing teaches little girls to love their family and to be generous towards others because she is blessed to be a blessing.
Princess Charity’s Courageous Heart demonstrates love by the princess rescuing a hurt boy. She cared more for another person than herself - showing love in her actions.
Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten presents the opportunity to love her father by being responsible for the kittens. When the kitten is lost, she not only loves the kitty enough to search for her, but she brings her home to show her father her devotion.
Princess Faith and the Mysterious Garden lays out the dilemma of the never-ending problem garden. The princess shows her love to her family and her father by persevering and having patience.
A Royal Easter Story focuses on saving a little girl in the woods and finding her family. Love is the central theme of this story from the little girl to the Easter Celebration where Christ is center. The greatest love is Jesus dying for us on a cross.
There is still time to order these books off of Amazon or from your local Christian bookstore for Valentine’s Day. We hope your girls will love them and learn to LOVE because of them. Our prayer has always been to give you moms tools to train up your kids in righteousness.
As for loving our kids and teaching love, I am right there with you. I pray for each of us an extra dose of grace as we speak into this generation.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!
~Jeanna Young
When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!
