Have you ever tried wearing a pair of super dark sunglasses inside the house? Everything looks dim, blurry, and hard to see. But when you take them off and put on the right pair of glasses, suddenly everything around you is clear and bright! The way you look at the world changes how you treat the people around you every single day.
When we build a Bible grid for our lives, the second foundational rock right after Truth is Love. Jesus gave us a simple rule to live by: love God first, and love others second. Having a love grid means seeing people through Jesus’ eyes instead of just focusing on ourselves. When we remember how much God loves us, it becomes way easier to share that same awesome love with everyone we meet!
John 13:34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
Putting love into action isn’t always easy, especially when someone takes your favorite toy or picks on you at recess. Loving others doesn’t mean you just feel warm feelings inside; it means making active choices to be kind, patient, and helpful. It looks like inviting the kid sitting alone at lunch to join your game, letting your sibling pick the movie, or encouraging a teammate who made a mistake.
Here is a great mental life hack: whenever you are about to react to someone who is bugging you, pause and ask yourself, “How can I show Jesus’ love in this moment?” Choosing kindness over getting even wins every single time. Let’s make it our mission this week to keep our love grid turned on so we can show Jesus’ love to our family, friends, and classmates!
Talk About It
- If you had to make a list of your top three favorite things in the whole world (toys, foods, or games), what would they be?
- What is our main Bible verse for today, and where can you find it in the Bible?
- Parents, when you were kids, who was someone that showed you super big love and kindness when you were having a bad day?
- When a classmate or sibling is being mean or annoying, why is it hard to treat them with love, and how can Jesus help you choose kindness anyway?
- What is one specific act of love your family can do together this week to surprise a neighbor or friend?