An Imprint of Love

1 John 4:16b God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Before I had kids I was terrified at the prospect because I couldn't even manage to keep a plant alive. After I had children I was terrified because I realized early on that they mimic everything they see me do. This is especially true in my case since I have four girls - hence four little proteges.

Never is this more apparent to me than when I hear them play with their babies. Echoes of my voice resound in my ear - sometimes pleasant, other times harsh. This morning, however, I overheard Carynne as she comforted her baby, "Sweetie, I need you to be quiet now. Mommy is spending time with Jesus."

Today's passage is 1 John 4. Here we learn that it is through demonstrating our love for others that our love for God is confirmed. When I see the reflection of my life in the mirror my children hold, I am not always pleased. My words boomerang back to me laced with sarcasm or riddled with impatience. The words I heard Carynne speak today tell me that my love for Jesus is apparent to my kids because my tone when I speak of Him is saturated with love. There is no better way I could love my children than to teach them to love Jesus.

I strive for every word I speak to be kind, beneficial and true (Ephesians 4:29). Clearly, not every word meets that standard in speech or in tone. Despite that, I have managed to imprint on my girls a pattern of speech that communicates a sincere love for Jesus.

Jesus, some days I get so busy doing things for my kids that I forget that the most loving thing I can do for my children is spend time with You. Today I will let my love for You overflow and spill onto them all. May that passionate love for You cover over anything they learn from along the way that I really wish they hadn't. In the end, I only want to leave an imprint of love.