One Simple Way to Teach Your Kids to Love Others

If there is one thing, actually two things I want my kids to know how to do, it is to 1) love God, and 2) love others. Of course, that’s not my own creative little list — it’s the two priorities Jesus gave when he was asked about the greatest commandment. He said: 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

-Matthew 22:37-40

All of the law and prophets depend on those two commandments! Meaning all that God wants us to do (and wants our kids to do) can be boiled down to loving God and loving others!

I’m so grateful for the clarity and simplicity of God’s expectations, aren't you?! 

The question is, how do we teach our children these things? Well, for the sake of keeping it simple and getting practical, I'll just bring one easy idea to our little online space here that can help you teach your children how to love their neighbor as themselves.

All it entails is a car, some kids, and some thoughtful conversation.

This is how it looks with my crew:

When we go to a place in which my kids will interact with other kids, we often talk about how we should show love and be thoughtful to others. We discuss what it would look like to really "love your neighbor like you love yourself." Then I have them each pick one goal for that time around.

There are a few reasons why this has been super helpful…

• They are picking what they do. Instead of it being mom once again saying what they need to work on, they are deciding on their own how they want to intentionally reach out to others.

• Each person’s goals spark new ideas. They are learning from each other how to be more thoughtful of others. They are realizing there are lots of ways to show love.

• Lessons are being learned from each other’s successes.When they hear a sibling praised, or even counseled through the conversations that ensue, the listening siblings are learning.

• When there is failure — there is always next time. In one sense the stakes are low. While we want success to happen this time, someone might forget their goal, or not quite meet it. But when you are doing this often, you know a new opportunity will arise very soon!

It doesn’t get much more simple than that. 

But what makes this so successful is not it’s simplicity, rather it's the likelihood of probable faithfulness.

We are in the car regularly. There is not that many other productive things that could be going on. And let’s be honest, no one is escaping the conversation! You really can do this several times a week without adding anything to your busy schedule (other than some thoughtful conversations). And even if you only engaged in this conversation on a quarter of your drives, you will be regularly engaging in some key teaching moments. 

In other words, car ride by car ride by car ride, our kids can be learning what it means to obey the second greatest commandment given by God himself. And it can be so simple.

Blessings,

Heather Pace