How many times have you heard someone say, “There is NOTHING I wouldn’t do for my child.” or “I would DIE for my child.” So often we choose these big words to explain just how much love we have for someone. And it makes a ton of sense…after all, they are ours. Our hearts are so full of love for these little humans we can imagine jumping in front of a car to save them or trading places if they were sick and dying.
But, dying is a ONE-TIME thing. Ponder that…While it is in fact heroic to sacrifice your own life for another, let’s dive a little deeper into what it truly means to “die” for your child.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
If we explore this popular scripture passage in further depth, we see that laying down our life or “dying” indicates a number of things—not just the one-time heroic jump in front of the moving bus with our cape on. First, it shows that laying down your life cannot be done halfway. No one dies “halfway”, right?! Either your life is laid down or not. This indicates that, in order for it to be love in the truest sense, it’s a total commitment of 100% of your life. WHOA! That sure sounds like parenting to me! 100% committed…all in…yes!
So, to die for our kids also means we choose, day to day, to LIVE for them. Right?
Laying down our lives for our children truly means choosing to sacrifice some of our own comforts in order to serve them in the best way possible. And that can be hard to hear when we already do that in so many ways, just by taking care of their basic needs. But what about dialing that up a notch, beyond the basics?
Let’s ask ourselves if we are truly willing to die for our child, by living in a way that helps us be the best version of ourselves—the true hero our children need, in order to love them in the deepest way possible.
Do I:
- Focus on my health, prioritizing healthy eating and exercise?
- Eliminate distractions such as social media that interrupt quality conversations with my kids?
- Wake up and get myself ready for each day, taking proper care of my hygiene, before checking social media or email?
- Prioritize date night with my spouse on a weekly/monthly basis?
- Have regular, intentional huddles with my spouse and kids to set small goals and be sure everyone is on the same page with the calendar?
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Prioritize family meals at the table?
Pick just one of these to focus on for the next month. None of us are checking all the boxes and doing everything, all the time. But the best way to truly “die” for your children is to live for them every day. Be that hero your kids really need you to be.
You’ve got this! Join our private Facebook Group: Thrive Community by Families of Character, where we come together as like minded parents to support each other in doing what is right and good for the strength of our families. Hope to see you there!
