Would You Live For Them?

Think about your children, your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews.

Think about the love you have for each of them.

Have you ever said that you’d die for them?

It’s supposed to show how much you love someone–that you would die for them if it was necessary for them to live.

I have a more important question for you, though.

Would you live for them?

The chances of anyone having to actually die for a loved one are slim but you can live for them every day.

Ok, so someday you might take a bullet for your kid or give him the only liver you have losing your life in the process.

Until that unlikely day comes (or doesn’t) you can live for them instead.

If you don’t want your kids to smoke and you’re a smoker, quit. Show them how important they are to you.

If you want them to be compassionate, volunteer to help out people less fortunate than you are and let your kids participate.

If you want them to be capable of taking care of themselves someday, teach them how to cook, clean, cut the grass, grow a garden, change a flat tire, and do basic repairs around the house.

Yes, even if you have to go to a Home Depot weekend class to learn how to repair a hole in the drywall.

We were willing to take a bullet, remember? Shouldn’t we at least be willing to take a class?

I was extremely lucky. I grew up with parents who lived for us. They didn’t wait for the opportunity to die for us to come along to show us how much we were loved. Instead, they lived for us every day.

I wrote this about my father in his eulogy:

The way that he lived his life is precisely what made him such a good father.  He didn’t just teach us what he thought we needed to know, he showed us.  He “lived” who he wanted us to become.

That’s what I mean by “living” for someone.

Answer questions, teach life skills, spend time together, set a good example, go out of your way a little for them.

It’s wonderful to be “willing to die” for our kids. We just need to be willing to “live” for them, too.

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This occurred to me as I was writing this post.

Along with having parents who lived for me, I also have a brother who died for me. Before He did though, He lived for me. He taught me lessons about love and how to live. He taught me how to treat people and how if I believed in Him, I wouldn’t die.

His name is Jesus.