Understanding God's Love

On Tuesday morning, I had a great conversation with a couple of guys. We were talking about how to help our kids understand God's great love for them. As adults, we somewhat grasp this concept, but not entirely. But how do you help your 2, 3, 4, or 5 year old understand God loves them. They worship God and read Bible stories about Him, but do they know God loves them. As I reflected on this conversation, I have come up with a few ideas. Here they are in no specific order:
  • Tell them often "God Loves You."
  • Read stories from a Children's Bible and explain God's love seen in the specific story.
  • Compare it to your love for them as a child. Talk about ways they understand a parent's love. What do you do? What do you say? Ask how does this make you feel? Then explain that God's love is much, much, much, much, much greater than a parent's love.
  • Or relate it to an item (doll, tractor, game, ball, etc.) that they love and spend time playing with. Ask: How much do you love that item? What would you do if this item was lost or broken? Help them see that the love they have for this important item is small compared to God's love for them. God loves them much, much, much, much much more than they love that item.
  • And probably the most difficult: show them. Show them what love looks like in relationships and for God. Explain that because I love God, I _____________ (you fill in the blank). Don't let your fill in the blank item become an item to be checked off a list but instead something you do because you love God. The thing does not make God love me more or less nor do I have to do it to earn God's love. God's love is a gift!
I hope these have been helpful. How about you? How would you explain God's love to a 2-5 year old?

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