Hearts and flowers and chocolate and…

Does any of this actually equal love?!

When you have kiddos, you start to think about the meaning behind holidays and such a lot more. We don’t want our boys growing up thinking Christmas is all about them getting presents – it’s about Jesus’ birth. We don’t want Easter to be all about egg hunts and candy – we want them to know it is about the death and resurrection of our Savior.

Even though Valentine’s Day isn’t about something as central to our faith as the birth or resurrection of Jesus, it is about love, and the Bible tells us love is pretty important.

During this time leading up to Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share more with the boys about what REAL LOVE is and looks like, and one of the ways to do this is through music. We are a music family. Someone is always singing in the house and I like it that way 🙂

So I put together a simple playlist on iTunes of songs we already owned that talk about real love – the love of Jesus and how we can spread that love. I had a few people ask what was on our list, so I will share it here today, but you can pick ANY songs that your family enjoys that talk about Jesus’ love and love in action!

*****

Our Top Ten “Real Love” Songs 

1. Your Love, Oh Lord {Third Day}

2. Your Love is Extravagant {Casting Crowns}

3. Put On Love {Seeds Family Worship}

4. Love Has Come {Mark Schultz}

5. No Greater Love {Seeds Family Worship}

6. It’s About Love {Veggie Tales – The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree}

7. How He Loves {David Crowder Band}

8. His Love Endures {Seeds Family Worship}

9. The Face of Love {Sanctus Real}

10. Do Everything in Love {Seeds Family Worship}

*****

I tried to make a mixture of songs our whole family would enjoy! I included several songs from Seeds Family Worship because they are actual Scripture verses about love and that is what I want our boys to remember most! Here are the verses for those songs…

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love… ~Colossians 3:12-14 {ESV}

*****

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. ~John 15:13-14 {NIV84}

*****

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever. ~Psalm 136:1-6, 26 {NIV84}

*****

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. ~1 Corinthians 16:13-14 {NIV84}

*****

What would be in your mix for a “real love” playlist?