What is sacrificial love?

Some parents feel that sacrificing is us doing without to give to our children. Well if that means you only have a little food and feed them before yourselves or only enough money to buy clothes for them, then perhaps. However in my view it is not sacrificial love to not set proper examples for your children. What do I mean by this. Well consider the following.

Do you let your children demand expensive things that you cannot afford? Do you then work two jobs or many overtime hours to give them what they want rather then teach them the responsibility of money. Do you feel they have to have those expensive jeans, the fiery red sports car? Do you think you are a terrible parent if they want these things but you can't provide?

Do you consider it sacrificial love because you wear old clothes, shop in discount or thrift stores for your own clothing and drive a junk car just so you can give your children the best? Do you have family arguments because of finances because you think your child has to go to the best schools, wear the best clothes, drive the best cars, and have the best of everything? Do you honestly believe that this is helping your children and giving them the proper structure for life? Or is it instilling selfishness into their hearts.

Sacrificial love really means to guide them to become a well balanced adult and to teach them respect and patience. Teach them that life isn't going to be handed to them, they must be responsible and build a life of their own. This is the only way that your children will have the tools necessary to be a true success in life and a true selfless parent to their own children. We must be selfless in our love to our children so they then will be selfless in their love for their children. Love is not based on material things you can give a child but in the care you give to them, the wisdom you instill in their lives and the righteousness you guide them to.

It is hard to not want to give your children the best but give them the best by giving them the tools it takes to grow up into a decent adult who knows how to stand on their own two feet and make a successful life of their own. That is the first step to their happiness. Give them the true values that will sustain them in life. Protect them from the world and guide them toward being a righteous person and you then will be giving them all the riches of a happy life where they are proud of who they are.

Like most parents we fear for our child's future, their life and their safety but we must teach them while they are under our care to be good, honest, selfless and faithful and give them a sense of ambition to become the best they can be. Then when we have done all we can to protect them we must push them gently into the waters of life. They will swim if we have given them the tools necessary.