Celebration Sunday

Family Affection


Some people are more outwardly affectionate than others. God created each person unique and thus, everyone expresses affection differently. Affection is an outgrowth of love, but it is not based on feelings. Sometimes you may feel like giving hugs; sometimes you may not. Sometimes you may feel like doing things for others; sometimes you may not. Affection requires you to act on what you know is right even though you may not feel like doing it.
Affection is also based on learning what another person likes. “Touchyfeely” people like to hug others. But people who are not “touchy-feely” might not like affection expressed to them in that way. The things a person does to show love to others are usually indicators of the ways that person receives love. Children can learn to notice those signs in each other and respond accordingly. For example, Anne likes to give and receive hugs, but her brother Mike does not. Mike can learn to give and receive hugs from Anne because he knows hugs are important to her. Therefore, teach your child to show affection in ways that are both comfortable to him and
meaningful to others. Consider the following questions with regard to your child. What kind of affection is he likely to show?
1. Does your child give lots of hugs?
2. Does your child say “I love you” several times a day?
3. Does your child like to buy or make gifts for others?
4. Does your child like to do things for others?
The family dynamic is the ideal place to learn to show appropriate affection. It is sometimes difficult to show affection to family members because faults and annoyances seem more prevalent within the four walls of a house. When children learn to care for and respect their family members, it will become much easier to care for and respect those outside of the family.

Act On It!


Read Romans 12:10
together. Guide your family to talk about what the word honor means. Make a list of ideas on a sheet of paper. (Possible answers may include: show respect, not talk back, praise, reward, accept.)
Talk about the responses. Help your children understand that “to honor” means to show respect toward or to value. Place a spinner such as a plastic bottle in the middle of the table. Spin the bottle. When it stops and points to someone say: “Everyone think of one way to show honor
to (name person).” Continue playing until the spinner points to every family member.
Pray, asking God to remind your family to love and honor one another, even when it seems hard.
Listen and observe interaction between family members this week. Offer praise and encouragement as you see them honoring each other.
Genesis 42—46


Key Verse:
Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10