Create A Culture Of Love

How are we parents to create an atmosphere of love in the home – rather than an atmosphere of fear?

Voices of fear fight their way into our homes. Storylines of worry invade the peace, the rest, and the joy that is rightfully ours.

1 John 4:18 tells us fear is the polar opposite of love. That is, God’s perfect love effectively overwrites a culture of fear.

Here is that text in full:

There is no fear in love;
instead, perfect love drives out fear,
because fear involves punishment.
So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.
– 1 John 4:18

If we have moments of fear, we are normal parents. We are human. The point of this text is not to shame those of us who have insecurity or fear.

If we read it again we notice this dynamic: if we fear, we are still reaching for that perfect love.

Which is fine! We are “on the journey”. We are still growing as parents. Still growing as God’s children. Still learning to understand how powerful His love is – and how foundational it is to all we are and all we do.

The point is this: in our journey – wherever we are in the journey – the antidote to fear and anxiety is to re-anchor ourselves in the love of God at every turn.

When we teach the Tribal Family approach to discipleship, we teach how all throughout God’s creation – especially in our homes – primary relationships order secondary relationships.

Our dance steps – as the parent-priests of our homes – determine the dance steps of those who follow our lead.

The Scripture text above is one of our foundational texts for teaching this principle because of what immediately follows:

We love because He first loved us. [verse 19]

His love for you is why you needn’t fear. This should be the primary relationship in your home: His love for you.

As you grow to understand and experience how unconditional and without bounds His fatherly love is for you, this love will change how you love your family as a parent – in ways that overwrite a culture of fear.