Kids can show love

Some grownups act like kids don't know how to do anything! Your neighbor asks your mom how you're doing instead of asking you; your grandfather tells you what to eat in a restaurant. They forget you can think for yourself!

People in Jesus' time had that problem. Their government, their families and their temples (like churches) all told them how to live, and some of them were sick of it. That's why, in this week's Gospel (John 13:31-35), Jesus only gives them one simple rule to live by!

"I won't be around much longer," Jesus told His followers; "so before I go back to heaven, I want to give you a new commandment: Love one another. If you love each other as much as I love you, everyone will know that you follow me."

When an adult acts like you don't know anything, you probably feel angry. Some people Jesus met were like that. They had lots of rules for how to act, and they felt angry that they weren't allowed to decide for themselves.

It feels great when someone treats you like a grownup -- letting you answer questions, pick your own dinner or decide how to act. Jesus knew that people like to feel like adults, so He only gave them (and us) one rule: Love each other. How we do that is up to us!

Acting like a grownup means making choices for yourself. When Jesus told us to love one another, He wanted us to decide how. Some kids show their love by helping out at a soup kitchen with their parents; others pack up their old clothes for the poor or act friendly to a boy who gets picked on at school.

Some grownups might think kids can't do anything, but you know that kids have lots of good ideas for how to love people. The good news is that Jesus always wants to hear them!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me think of a new way to love other people every day -- and do it! Amen.

(05-07-98) [[In-content Ad]]