Children who are loved are lovable. Think about that. When love is freely given, love is freely returned. The reverse is also true. Children who do not know love are hard to love.
Battered children are batterable.
It s a cycle, the only pattern they know. It is what the unloved are accustomed to, what they ve learned, and what they will expect and even provoke from others. Adopting older children who have been abused and neglected can be challenging, because these children have not consistently experienced loving discipline, forgiveness, hugs, kisses, smiles, words of encouragement, or acceptance for being just who they are. The good news for us is that God never gave up on us, no matter how rebellious or obnoxious we became. We need to be reassured over and over again by the sweet message of the gospel that God has loved us through Christ.