Ahhh.... the month of "love." At least this is what our young men and women are led to believe. Every year we look forward to (or forget) that one day of the year when we are supposed to show our "love" for that special someone. Well, I'm sorry if I sound like a heartless killer of "love" but, as a youth pastor... I can't wait for Valentine's Day to come and go! LOL.
Do you want to know what one of the biggest headaches in youth ministry (and I'm sure the same is true for you in parenting) is? Student relationships. Ugh! I get a bad taste in my mouth just thinking about it. For some reason, young men and women today think they need a relationship. They're told by advertisements, memes, and tiktok videos that, if they don't have a special someone on Valentine's Day, they are lonely and miserable people. Using Valentine's Day, this world has twisted the image of true love. It has taught people throughout the nation that love is synonymous with presents, chocolates, fancy dates, and clever poetics. While not all of these things are bad, the problem comes when young men and women begin to focus on the world's definition of love instead of God's definition. Left unchecked, they will begin seeking after lust disguised as love. And you know it better than I... once they make their mind up about something, it can be a long hard-fought road getting them to understand wisdom and truth.
So here's what we do: Live Love Out.
Over that past couple of weeks it has been mentioned to your students on Wednesday nights that True Love is characterized by sacrifice, humility, service, and obedience.
John 15:13 - Sacrificial
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Philippians 2:4-8 - Humbled Service
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
John 14:15 - Obedient
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
We see all of these truths displayed in the life and sacrifice Jesus gave while He was here among us. And, as we have learned throughout January, we are called to be followers of Jesus who follow with an intent to imitate Him Who leads us (akoloutheo). Parents, lets work together during the month of February to continually and intentionally point our young men and women toward the biblical definition of love.
We can do this in two ways:
1. By turning them to the Lord's Word, reminding them of the love Jesus displayed, and charging them with their calling to imitate their Lord and King.
2. By purposefully living out true love in front of them. I have told the students they should be looking for ways to serve, sacrifice, and think of others "as more significant than themselves." This goes for mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa too. Let your children see you "love one another with brotherly affection and outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10).
Live Love Out in front of your children. By doing this, we can fight back against the world as it seeks to redefine what God has called True Love!
I hope you have a blessed and safe February!
Travis