The other night, the boys and I were reading from a Daily Bible for Kids that I gave them for Christmas last year that we haven’t had a chance to actually get through yet, and the passage was the one on love from 1 Corinthians 13. This is one of my favorite passages from the Bible. It makes it all sound so simple. It defines love exactly, and then reminds us that in the end, love is all you need and above all else. Working with young children the past couple of years has really drilled this home for me more than anything else I’ve ever done in life. So often, when a child is upset or acting out, instead of allowing it to frustrate you or practicing a stricter form of discipline with them, it comes down to just loving them to help them gain perspective and settle down for awhile. As a teacher, obviously, you can’t solve all their problems, but you can gather them up and hug them or speak to them in a calm, loving voice and ask what’s wrong. You can try to understand how they are feeling and comfort them, even when nothing they are doing makes sense to you.
The world is such a scary place, and I’ve learned that so many children don’t receive enough of that simple form of love through hugs and comforting words or even an adult in their lives who truly listens to them, so if I can help be that for them, I will. I get frustrated too sometimes, and I want to throw a temper tantrum as well, and I know what helps me the most during one of those times is for someone I care about to come to me, talk with me, offer a hug if necessary, and let me know it’s all going to be okay. That’s love: patient and kind. Love does not envy nor boast, and is not proud. Love does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking nor easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
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