Others Matter: How do we teach our kids to put others first?
Others Matter
When it comes to our kids, how can we teach them that others matter?
For most of us, one of the first words we learn to say is, “MINE!” Those Cheerios are MINE. That toy is MINE. Whatever you have that I want is MINE.
I don’t know what it is but there’s something in all of us that is inherently selfish. We want what we want, and we want it our way right away!
And that mentality follows a lot of us into adulthood.
We live in a world that drives everyone to self promotion on the one hand and self preservation on the other. Social media conditions us to post highlight reels of our lives as we strive to gain the most likes, followers, and subscribers. We spend money we don’t have to get what we want without a second thought of what someone else might need.
But one of the things that sets us apart as followers of Jesus, one of the ways we live different, is this practice of putting others first.
In Philippians 2.4 the Apostle Paul said it this way,
“Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”
What are we known for?
What’s really interesting is that from the very beginning of the church, Christians were known for their radical love for others. Jesus said that the world would know that we are his disciples by our love and by all accounts, this was true of many of those first followers of Jesus.
But how do we teach our kids that Others matter in the world we live in? A world that is largely self centered, entitled, and self consumed?
Someone once said that when it comes to raising our kids, more is CAUGHT than TAUGHT. And I think there’s some truth to that.
We can tell them something, teach them what is true, but unless we demonstrate it, unless they see us living it out, chances are it won’t stick.
It’s important for us to teach our kids the importance of putting others first AND for them to see us living this out.
They need to see us loving our neighbors well. Always being humble and kind. Taking care of those who are a part of the church. Practicing hospitality. When we do they will learn what it means and what it looks like to look out for others.
Where else are they going to learn this?
If we want their faith to make a practical difference in their lives, it has to make a real difference in our lives first.
And one of the most important parts of our faith is following the example of Jesus by serving those around us in love. In fact, according to Jesus… loving others is directly connected to loving God.
When we say we love God and we put our love for others into practice, we connect the dots of what we believe with how we live and our kids see what it looks like to truly love God and love others.
Today let’s find a way to put others first.
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