1Corinthians 13 "Love is..."
Sometimes family life is hard. The people we love most, the people who know us best, often get the worst side of us. This can wear on family relationships. Parents, children, and caregivers alike need tools for loving each other better. In our family, we began learning this passage when we got tired of hearing too much “I’m better than you” language, and when we realized we were all losing our patience quickly. We were all falling into a “me first” mentality. Keeping this passage on the tip of our tongues has resulted in more patient parents and kinder children. Jesus came to show us the way of love, and this passage is a beautiful way to understand that way of love.
Read It
1 Corinthians 13
Memorize It
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. - I Corinthians 13:4-7
Do It
Activity 1: Everyday Life
As a family, learn and incorporate this scripture. Use it as a guide in your daily living, in your interactions with each other and with others. This is so very simple, and so very effective.
1. Make a “Love Is…” sign. This could be a poster board, or maybe a big chalkboard or dry-erase board. Write “Love Is…” at the top of it, and maybe do some decorations as a family.
2. One at a time, learn each part of this verse and add it to your sign. We add one part per week, but if your children are older you may be able to do one a day. Incorporate different ways to learn it. We add a sign each week for the word or phrase. So for example:
Week 1: “Love is patient.” (do a sign or motion for “patient,” and add the word patient to your sign).
Week 2: “Love is kind (sign or motion, plus add “kind” to your sign)
And so on!
3. Practice it throughout your day and week. Here are some ideas of ways to live and practice it:
-Everyone has to say it before they can leave the table.
-Use the passage as reminders for family life. This means your children have permission to remind you, too. For example, if the parent is in a hurry to get out the door and not being their best self, a child might say, “Love is patient.” When one child is heard telling the other, “I can run faster than you,” a parent might say, “Love is not boastful.”
Activity 2: If I have not love
1. Talk about or look at pictures of people who have accomplished a lot - people you know or people you have heard of. Name all their accomplishments. Then talk about how, even with all of those accomplishments, without love none of that has any meaning.
2. Name the accomplishments or talents of the members of your family. Then remind yourselves that all those things don’t matter if we don’t live in God’s love and share God’s love.
As a family, learn and incorporate this scripture. Use it as a guide in your daily living, in your interactions with each other and with others. This is so very simple, and so very effective.
1. Make a “Love Is…” sign. This could be a poster board, or maybe a big chalkboard or dry-erase board. Write “Love Is…” at the top of it, and maybe do some decorations as a family.
2. One at a time, learn each part of this verse and add it to your sign. We add one part per week, but if your children are older you may be able to do one a day. Incorporate different ways to learn it. We add a sign each week for the word or phrase. So for example:
Week 1: “Love is patient.” (do a sign or motion for “patient,” and add the word patient to your sign).
Week 2: “Love is kind (sign or motion, plus add “kind” to your sign)
And so on!
3. Practice it throughout your day and week. Here are some ideas of ways to live and practice it:
-Everyone has to say it before they can leave the table.
-Use the passage as reminders for family life. This means your children have permission to remind you, too. For example, if the parent is in a hurry to get out the door and not being their best self, a child might say, “Love is patient.” When one child is heard telling the other, “I can run faster than you,” a parent might say, “Love is not boastful.”
Activity 2: If I have not love
1. Talk about or look at pictures of people who have accomplished a lot - people you know or people you have heard of. Name all their accomplishments. Then talk about how, even with all of those accomplishments, without love none of that has any meaning.
2. Name the accomplishments or talents of the members of your family. Then remind yourselves that all those things don’t matter if we don’t live in God’s love and share God’s love.
Pray It
God, help us to show your love to everyone we encounter. Amen.