Resuscitating Our Kids in a Dying World 2

#2 LOVE

 Another function that sustains life for our children is LOVE.

The movie starred an animated princess thrown into a natural world, the real world and she landed in (of all places)... New York!  She was confused about her surroundings, but she relentlessly kept looking for her true love, she knew he was near and looking for her.   Even though people around her were rude, rushing around and didn't seem to notice her, her response to them was still loving and kind.  


Before being caught in a rain storm, she had her tiara stolen from a vagrant with really bad teeth and the harshest thing she could yell at him was “You are not a very nice old man!”  At one point in her frustration, she told her rescuer about the difficult time she was having and he sarcastically smiled and said, “Welcome to New York.”  Without a blink, she smiled and responded, “Why, thank you!”  He didn’t believe in love, but she did and in her attempt to help him with his relationship problems, she broke out into song and began singing, “How does she know you love her?”

We love fairy tales from Disney's "Enchanted", but this is not what our children see everyday. 

When we look at the world today, we hear about so many parents that abuse and hurt their children.  So many kids act out in anger because that is what they know. What they see today is not love.  People who want someone or something so bad they will kill to get it.   How will a young child who is born into a family where someone has died or been hurt in a bad relationship ever trust that love is safe or real?

A child in the line at a grocery store is not caring what political affiliation you are when they peer at you over their parent’s shoulder.  A smaller baby may look at you strangely, but mainly because you are a new face to them. They may be curious, slightly timid, but when the smile covers their face, they are not wondering about your background, race or what neighborhood you live in.  Children are born into so many different environments, but they come out ready and willing to love. The problem is how we pass on our own hatefulness to our children as they listen to what we say about others. 

Our children need and deserve a lifeline of love, we have to do better at allowing our kids to see love so they can love.  Especially since God is love.  We have to do better at loving each other or our children have no example of it.  

How will they know you love them?

Not only should our kids see and experience love from their parents, they should have genuine love and guidance from those around them.  It still takes a village to raise a child.  Since we don’t have liberties that our grandparents had, we can’t openly hug or correct a child, but we can still genuinely care them.  Be there to support them as they grow.  Teach them, mentor them, challenge them, show them how to make good choices.  When we speak well of them, we remind them of purpose and God’s undying love for them!  More than anything else, to show our kids love, we have to be seen showing it to others. 

They know love based on what you do more than what you say.