SERVE WITH LOVE

Day in and day out for many years, we have been serving our children. We care about them because we love them. Many parents forget about this. Unsurprisingly. After all, every day we do the same thing: feed the baby, bathe him, clean up after him. Gradually, for some, this can turn into a routine, a boring necessity. Some even say that they have fallen into slavery, that their spouse and children exploit them. If you think so, if helping is an unpleasant duty for you, then the child will not see love in your deeds.

The one who helps his neighbor is not a slave, but a devoted loving servant. A slave does not work of his own free will and hates work. A loving servant, on the contrary, gladly gives himself to others, work brings him satisfaction. Help is a gift, not an obligation, no one forces us to try for the benefit of others, we choose it ourselves. If parents compare caring for a child to slave labor, they will satisfy his physical needs, but they will never satisfy his emotional needs.

Since daily chores often become routines for us, all parents should check in with themselves from time to time to make sure that their help is truly expressing love.

MAIN TASK

By caring for a child, helping him, we set an example of selfless sacrificial love, teaching him to serve others. This is our main task. Looking at us, he learns to help not only loved ones, but also those who will not be able to repay good for good. If children constantly see how their parents take care of their family, friends, complete strangers, they will follow their example and will serve their neighbor just as selflessly.

The Bible tells us that unselfishness and self-denial are pleasing to God. While dining at the Pharisee's house, Jesus said to his host:

"When you make lunch or supper, do not call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor your rich neighbors, lest they also call you, and you will not receive recompense. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed that they cannot repay you, for you will be rewarded in the resurrection of the righteous"[7].

Wonderful words! Do we not want our children to have compassion, serve and love their neighbors? Isn't that what we're aiming for? However, do not forget, a child is a child. He is childishly selfish, you should not expect selfless help from him. If he behaved well, he wants to receive a reward. It will take a long time before he learns to sacrifice his time and energy for the sake of others, without expecting anything in return.

BECOME AN EXAMPLE FOR CHILDREN

How to achieve this goal? First, make sure that your children feel your love and care—they should always be sure of that. Secondly, remember, you are an example for them. It is from you that they learn what it means to selflessly help others. You teach them to accept help with gratitude. However, remember that it is very difficult to feel gratitude when we are required to do so. When you pull the baby back: "Immediately say thank you to his father!", he will not feel any gratitude. The only thing he will understand is that help was imposed on him, and now they demand something in return. It is better to ask affectionately: "Will you thank Dad?" So, no orders, only requests.

The older the children become, the more clearly they realize how much their parents have done for them. Of course, they don't remember how you changed their diapers, fed them, walked with them, but watching other parents mess with their babies, they understand that you also took care of them. And when a child is confident in your love, he appreciates everything you do for him. He is grateful for a delicious lunch, for the fact that you read to him before going to bed, for teaching him to ride a bike, helping him do his homework, taking care of him when he is sick, comforting him when he feels bad, taking him to the movies, to the circus, buying him sweets and gifts.

Then the child will find out that you are helping not only him. Gradually, he himself learns to take care of the sick, learns to share with the poor. Most often, children like to participate in such projects, especially if they are waiting to meet new people. To find a person who needs help, you don't have to go far. There are disadvantaged people in any city. Your help is needed in orphanages, soup kitchens, hospitals and nursing homes. You can unite with the parishioners of your church, with other families. Choose one day per week. When parents and children work together for the benefit of others, the child learns to help others with joy.

Help is needed everywhere. I worked as a doctor in Bolivia for a year with the Christian missionary organization Wycliffe Bible Translators. We Campbells went there as a family. Once a little Indian was admitted to our hospital with a severe fracture. He was only three years old. The boy lay in a cast for a month and a half. The children of the missionaries diligently cared for him. The main surprise awaited me at Christmas. Our Carrie, then six years old, received a doll as a gift - and immediately gave it to the sister of the sick boy. And she dreamed of this doll so much.