From the Desk of Melissa Reinert
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'” Matthew 22:37-40
As my youngest, now 7, gets older, I’m amazed; sometimes overwhelmed, other times over joyed; by the conversations we have. He is such a bright young man and very inquisitive.
Several months back we were discussing love. He asked me who I love the most in the entire world. I told him, God. I love God more than anyone or anything, I don’t always reflect this, unfortunately in my human nature, but I’m a work in progress and everyday I’m trying to put my Lord first.
I was telling my son how God has to be our main focus and priority in life. He didn’t quite understand, but I’m working on helping him to understand. We read, we pray, we talk about Jesus often.
I think what confused him is he thought that perhaps God was more important to me than him. I get where he is coming from. That’s hard to understand. I love my son and my entire family dearly. We all should. God, however, must be our No. 1. He is our Father, our family. Also, loving God the most, helps us love others the best.
I’ve learned so much about parenting by examining my relationship with God and vice-versa. It’s pretty amazing how all this is connected. They both require obedience, discipline, and hard work and sacrifice, which results in great love.
In Matthew, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, your entire being. He immediately adds, that the second is just like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.
We must first love God and put Him first before we can truly experience love for others, even our self.