Lately, our house has been somewhat of a war zone (I am sure this NEVER happens in your house, right?). The two older kiddos have been fighting more than usual, and there has been a general lack of love for each other, so this year, I decided that we would dedicate the entire month of February to focus on love. Not worldly love, but Godly love. I made a "Love Jar" (the green Mason Jar pictured above) that contains 28 verses about what Godly love is and how we are to live it out. Each day, we pull out a verse, read it, and talk about what it means. Then, we tape it to their chalk board upstairs where we can go back and look/meditate on the verses we have already talked about. Finally, at night, we pray for God to help us apply what we learned that day.
For instance, today's verse was:
"Beloved,
if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
-I John 4:11-
We asked the kids questions like "How does God love us? What are some things God has done for us? How does he love us in the everyday things?" and then, "How can we love one another? What are some things that are unloving? Does this show the love of God?"
Obviously, we've only been doing this for a few days, but it has been such a practical and helpful way for them to learn (and for Chris and I to be reminded) of the great love that God has for us and how that should impact how we worship, treat others, and live in the world.
Whether you love or hate Valentine's Day, I encourage you to think about it differently this year. Instead of viewing it as the world does, view it as an opportunity to show someone in your life the love of Christ. Love that puts others first. Love that gives without expecting to receive. Love that cares for even the unlovely.
Our Verse Board
If you would like to make your own "Love Jar", here are the Valentine's Verses we used (if you'd like them).
