By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13.35
One of the greatest ways to “love one another” is to give away your time. Even with all the social media connections, people are relationship starved.
How can your family love others this week with your time?
It’s so easy to let self-indulgence, fun and entertainment (soccer, judo, movies, YouTube, TV, social media, parties) take up a majority of our time, especially, because many of these things are “good”, but if we continue to cater to the entertainment desires of our kids without any thought of blessing others, they will probably grow up to be adults that continue this “i” mentality. Fast forward 10+ years. If your grown kids served as much as they do now, how much time would they be devoting to “loving one another?”
In our effort to raise kids that seek out how to love one another regularly, let’s find ways to get the family together to serve others outside our own universe.
This summer we went on a family mission trip and our 5 year old was playing Charades with all the nice folks at a nursing home. She was the highlight of their day. Even at 5 years old, she knows she can use what she has to bring joy to others.
We don’t have to train our kids to be selfish. But it will take time, training and persistence on our part to join our kids (living by example) in serving and loving others. Each time we do, they become a little more Christ like and we as a family grow closer together.
What are ways we can serve together? It doesn’t have to take a day or week or even an hour a day. We can help our kids have a mindset of helping others and thereby showing our love for Christ, simply by:
- putting the garbage out for a neighbor
- bringing in the mail for an elderly person
- writing a note to someone
- visiting a nursing home for an hour
- baking extra cookies for a neighbor
- picking up sticks after a hurricane (Can you tell we live in Florida?)
- And those random things that just can’t be planned: praying as you drive by an accident, putting a shopping cart back for an elderly person after they put their groceries in the car, holding the door open for someone, etc. etc.
We have a saying in our house: “Perceive the need!” We want our kids to have a mindset within all our activities and fun, that there are needs out there (and in our own home) and we are called to serve Jesus by loving others.
John Maxwell said, “People are selfish. Speak to their need first.” When we meet a need, it’s a way Christ in us speaks to them. That is powerful!
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13.35
Written by Jonathan
Rev. Jonathan Cronkhite has been serving youth and families for the last 28 years. With the heart of a pastor, he encourages and equips families to have Homes Devoted, through conferences, workshops, coaching, and writing. Married to Carrie for 25 years, they have 5 children, three of whom are young adults. Jonathan enjoys working alongside and discipling his teenage sons and their friends, renovating and flipping homes. He supports Carrie as she leads a home school co-op, and together they practice hospitality and serve in the community.
