Just Let Them Be? Are You Mad?

This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:12 

When you think of a parent showing love to their child, what comes to mind?  Is it giving them lots of gifts?  Perhaps it's letting them do whatever they want, when they want, to whom they want?  After all, children are adorable and would NEVER do anything that could construed as "wrong".....  If this is how you perceive showing love, you're completely miss the point of Jesus' words.

When a parent truly loves their child, they will teach that child!  They will teach their child that their actions have consequences...good or bad consequences, but every thought and action will result in some sort of consequences.

Remember the Israelites when they left Egypt heading toward the promised land?  God truly loved and loves His children.  What happened when the Israelites decided they knew the best way to do things instead of following God's direction?  God let them wander around the desert until the sinful generation had died (and that generation included Moses).

Remember King David, The Beloved of God? What did God do when David decided he wanted to take another man's wife (Bathsheba)?  Did God tell David, "That's okay.  You take who you want.  As long as it makes you happy, it's okay with me"?  If that's your answer, then perhaps you need to read the Bible story again.  God loved David enough to make him the ruler over Israel, but God also loved David enough to HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE!

You see, if we truly love someone we must love them enough to comfort them, as well as, correct them gently (or more harshly if the lesson is not learned).  

Let's look at this another way...let's say you want to lose weight (and I'm NOT saying that you do, just that you WANT to), what helps you more: your friends letting you do what you want, eat what you want, and not offering any motivation OR your friends holding you accountable by going to the gym WITH you, eating better WITH you, and encouraging you?

You see, giving someone everything they want so they don't have to do anything for themselves is NOT showing love.  Letting someone do whatever they want without any accountability or consequence is not love.  Love is teaching and guiding and encouraging and caring.  Jesus even reminds us in John 14:15: "IF you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  True love is never passive or inactive!  True love builds us up whether we like it or not.