LOVE GOD, LOVE FAMILY, LOVE OTHERS

The hardest people to love are oftentimes the ones closest to us: our families. There are many challenges in families that can lead to hurts and resentment, but at the heart of many issues is a self-centered love. When we love our own desires, pleasures, or interests over God and those around us, our relationships will inevitably suffer. Healing in families starts with re-ordering love rightly: love God, love family, love others.   

LOVE GOD    

Jesus summarized God's law in two commands: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). Before we can truly love our neighbor, we need to first love God. This means surrendering every area of our lives to Him – our work, relationships, finances, and decisions. We are compelled to love others because God first loved us (1 John 4:19) and even when we receive God’s love and grace, and surrender to Him, His love overflows through us to others.   

LOVE YOUR FAMILY    

Loving our neighbors begins right at home with our family. In marriage, husbands and wives are called to reflect Christ’s sacrificial love and the Church’s submission, honor, and respect. Parents are called to model love for God and intentionally disciple their children through guidance, protection, and faithful examples. Similarly, children are called to obey and honor their parents. In every family relationship, 1 Corinthians 13 provides a practical standard: patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, truth, perseverance, and enduring love.    

LOVE OTHERS    

Jesus calls us to love others not merely as ourselves, He commands us to love others just as He loved us (John 13:34).   

To love like Christ means to love sacrificially and in action by sharing the gospel, making disciples, and pointing everyone to the transformative and life-changing love of Jesus. When we live out His compassion, we understand that it's not enough to only love our family (Luke 14:26; Matthew 10:37), but we love our families so that our homes can reflect Christ’s love. As families pursue His mission together, they become channels of His love and grace.