Biblical Love - And Its Absence Towards Our Youth

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 

I’m sure we all know these verses well. They’re printed on pillows, slapped on mugs, hung on posters, and painted on living room walls all across America. They’re some of “those” verses – the ones that just about everyone knows and could probably quote from memory. And most people can even tell you that the word “charity” is the same Greek word used many times in the New Testament for “love” (you can see all of these instances, as well as the word’s original form, its meaning, etc, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, here: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G26&t=KJV)

So considering the well-known nature of these verses, and how many reminders of them we can find strewn across Hobby-Lobby, it makes me ask a single question.

Why aren’t these verses applied to how we deal with our children?

I’m not going to write a lengthy blog post about this one. I’m not going to breakdown all the ways these verses are ignored in Christian households, especially towards children and young people.

Today, I’m just going to ask a question. And I hope maybe it’ll make us all think a little more before we act:

 

According to the Biblical definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13… are you acting with love towards your children, students, and the youth in your lives?

Are you long suffering and patient?

Are you kind?

Do you let pride have the reins? Or wounded pride dictate how you react to situations?

Are you self-seeking, rather than selfless, in your home life and towards your kids?

Are you easily provoked? Do tiny mistakes make you fly off the handle?

Do you yell easily? And how often? Is yelling or punishment your first reaction to any situation?

Are you acting with love and grace towards your children? Or is anger and pride taking the reins?

Are you quicker to turn to kindness and patience, or anger, when dealing with the youth in your life?

 

I’d urge us all to examine ourselves and consider how we act towards those under our care on a daily basis. Before you try to fix faults you see in your kids, are you examining yourself for faults first? Are you taking the time to think about whether or not you’re handling a situation in a godly, loving, and righteous manner? Are you putting yourself above reproach by acting in a Christ-like manner in how you deal with your children?

If you’re yelling at your children every single day, letting things like anger have the strongest presence in your household, are you really acting like Christ acted? Are you displaying God’s generous, patient, and kind Love and Grace? Are you being a good ambassador of Christ to your kids… or are you setting a bad example by being quick to turn to anger, quick to let pride take the lead, and quick to put you and your feelings first?

We apply these verses in many other areas of our lives… but I am often left to wonder, listening to the guilt, grief, and pain of our youth, whether we’re overlooking one of the most important areas to apply them.

Our actions may define their futures, so let’s all be sure those actions are grounded in Christ and the Biblical definition of Love before we act.

 

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.