Parenting Tip #4 Show Affection
Greet each other with a holy kiss
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:20
“All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
Parenting Tip: Give hugs and kisses
When I was a teen in high school one of the guys in the youth group stumbled on the verse in 1 Corinthians 16:20 that states, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” That was unexpected and taken completely out of context by us young men. For the next few weeks there were a lot of attempted kisses at church, holy kisses of course. Paul recommends this four times and Peter once in the New Testament (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; or “kiss of love,” 1 Peter 5:14). This was a warm, non-romantic, cultural greeting that signified a family type of love among believers. With our spouse and our children hugs and kisses are an amazing non-verbal gift that communicates that you are accepted and loved.
There has been a lot of talk lately in the news regarding a loneliness epidemic in America and other parts of the world. Being lonely has a dramatic impact on health. Oxytocin is a chemical in our bodies that scientists sometimes call the “cuddle hormone.” This is because its levels rise when we hug, touch, or sit close to someone else(supposedly the hug needs to be for at least six seconds minimum to have an impact). Oxytocin causes a reduction in blood pressure and of the stress hormone norepinephrine.
A famous family therapist once said, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”
That’s a lot of hugging but it’s probably best to err on the side of too many hugs versus too few hugs.
If you haven’t hugged or kissed your kids or spouse today make it a priority, it pays big dividends and the Bible says to.
Apologetics (a defense of the Biblical worldview)
Child: “Did God make up what’s right and wrong?”
Parent: “No, God didn’t create what’s right and wrong, it’s part of his nature, part of who He is. That’s why the Bible doesn’t just say God is loving but actually says God is love(1 John 4:8). And that’s why it doesn’t just say God tells the truth but that God is truth(John 14:6-7).
God bless you!
Kevin Conover
There is a more thorough answer to this question in my online Bible Apologetics Curriculum which you can try out for free for 7 days here.
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