There are many people who think that they know how to love.
Some of these people try to control those whom they think they love.
Some try to punish those whom they love to get them to conform to their standards,
Some criticize and tear down others who they say they love because they think they have the right to do this because they are somehow better than the one that they love.
Others tear down under the disguise of being a prophet. A prophet of God will not tear you down, nor will they speak against the good that God is doing through you.
To be perfect in love one must lock the door to fear, banishing it from the heart.
in 1 John 4:18 perfect love is described. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
If someone is attacking you verbally, emotionally, psychologically or physically they do not love you in the perfect way that God would choose you to be loved.
I have recently heard of a Christian book on parenting which supposedly promotes child abuse and they are thinking that a sweet child that was adopted from Africa may have been killed because of the influence of this book.
I beg anyone to read 1 John 4:18 and tell me that child abuse is the perfect way to love your child. To make them suffer in fear and trepidation is not love nor Is it proper parenting.
The best way to love your child is to love them like God loves us. If they do wrong do not lash out in anger, if possible let the natural consequences of their wrong act be the discipline that is measured out but never withhold love from them. For God never withholds love from us.
Gracie, in my personal opinion the best way to raise a child is validate, validate, validate. At every step of the way, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school. At each step along the way these children have all these emotions and hormones rushing through their minds and bodies and they just don’t know what to do with them.
My approach was to anticipate what may be happening in her life, begin a discussion and relate how I felt when I was her age. And then tell stories, lots of stories about what happened in my life when I was her age.
All that being said, I raised my baby girl on Jesus. She will go on her second mission trip at the end of May.
I mean really. At about 6 months her brain was ready so I would just read the Bible to her little tiny 6 months old brain and I never stopped.
Good dad!