Teaching Children to Love Others

As Christians, the Bible teaches us to love others.  Yet, as humans, we can be pretty selfish.  True, unselfish love is something that much be learned.  It is so important for parents to be continually training their children to be loving.  We live in a day when society tells us to care the most about ourselves, before anyone else.  The Lord taught us just the opposite.

Remember, according to Matthew 22, the greatest Biblical commandments tell us to love God with all we are and then to love others as ourselves.  Compared to the first commandment, the second may sound easy, but it’s actually quite hard to live sometimes.  From the moment we are born, we are conditioned to be selfish.  This doesn’t change unless we choose to allow God to change us and make us loving just as He is.  The same is true for our children.  Unless we take the time to teach them to love other people and care about them, it will very rarely happen.

We can learn to love other people as Jesus loves other people.  This happens as we grow by grace into the image of Christ.  We will then be known as His followers when others see His love through us.  The Bible says in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Here are some ideas to help you teach this great truth to your kids and lead them in loving others in Christ.

Teaching Children to Love Others

1. Pray with your children for other people.

2. Plan ways your children can show love appropriately to authority figures they know.  (Teacher, pastor, police officer, etc.)

3. Create gifts to give to others and teach your kids to enjoy giving.

4. Lead your children to help those who are less fortunate.

5. Teach your kids that loving others is not to be a self-righteous good deed, but rather a genuine compassion shown through the love of Christ.

6. Model sincere Christian love and compassion in your own life.