At a surface level, loving our children seems easy.
It’s something we know we ought to do as parents, and a lot of times, it can be easy to demonstrate love for our children. We provide them with food and shelter or take them on family vacations.
These things are lovely and are part of what it means to be a caring parent, but demonstrating a steadfast love for our children requires even more.
If you want to build a deeper relationship with your children and love them the way Jesus loves us, here are six qualities you can find in parent/child relationships rooted in steadfast love.
Steadfast Love
Combining years of family counseling and authoritative parenting research, Dr. Daniel P. Huerta, Vice President of Family and Youth at Focus On The Family and a HopeConnectTM strategic partner, outlines seven key traits effective parents should develop in his book, Seven Traits of Effective Parenting,
One of these is steadfast love.
Dr. Huerta explains how we can emulate the way Jesus loves us by loving our children regardless of circumstances or how we’re feeling. And while steadfast love is the outcome, this type of unwavering commitment to our children is actually made up of several components.
The six fundamental components of steadfast love include:
1. Adaptability
God made each of us to be unique, and our children are, too. Be willing to adapt your parenting style to your child as they grow in Christ.
2. Respect
Our children belong to God. When we remember this truth, it is easier to respect them as divinely created individuals who we have the blessing to raise.
3. Intentionality
Cultivating the home you desire requires intentionality. Make deliberate decisions about raising your children so they can mature in their relationship with Jesus.
4. Boundaries
Having steadfast love for our children means creating and enforcing boundaries. Children crave these, even if they resist them at first.
5. Grace and Forgiveness
God gives us endless do-overs in life. We can extend this same expression of love to our children by giving them ample opportunities to make and repair mistakes.
6. Gratitude
Every moment we spend with our children is a true gift. By showing our children we cherish our time together, we can more readily demonstrate our steadfast love for them.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Steadfast love and the ability to show our children this type of dedication can only come from God. If you’re struggling in this area, you’re not alone. Ask Him to remind you of His unending love for you and to equip you with the ability to love your children in this way. He is faithful to help us when we ask.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ~Romans 8:38 (NLT)
APPLICATION
Show your children what a gift it is to be their parent by playing Tear-iffic!, a simple game that demonstrates how God’s love doesn’t end for us when we make mistakes — and neither does ours.
Find this game and more now in the Everyday Moments™ activities collection!
