In a powerful message addressing family dynamics, Bishop Charles Ighele has highlighted the critical importance of parental love in a child's life, drawing parallels with biblical teachings to underscore his points.
The Fundamental Need for Love
Bishop Charles Ighele, General Superintendent of Holy Spirit Mission in Lagos, emphasized that the greatest gift from God to humanity is the capacity to be loved. He identified what he termed a 'love tank' present in every human being—from babies and children to men and women—that requires constant filling through genuine affection and care.
The cleric warned that satan's primary strategy involves making children feel unloved by their parents, leading them to seek alternative ways to fill this emotional void. "When we are not loved or properly loved, the tendency is to get anything else to fill the void," Bishop Ighele stated during his address on November 22, 2025.
Biblical Examples and Modern Applications
Using the story of Adam and Eve from Genesis, Bishop Ighele illustrated how the feeling of being separated from love leads to poor alternatives. When Adam and Eve became separated from their heavenly Father, they realized they were naked and sewed aprons to cover themselves—what the Bishop described as "a very poor alternative" to divine protection and love.
He explained that satan's deception made the first humans believe God was limiting their freedom rather than protecting them, similar to how children today might misinterpret parental guidance as lack of love. "Satan hates fatherhood because the father is the symbol of authority," Bishop Ighele noted, emphasizing the protective role fathers should play in nurturing, training, and providing for their children.
Practical Steps for Parents
Bishop Ighele provided actionable advice for parents seeking to strengthen their relationships with their children. He urged parents to love their children unconditionally without comparing them to others, referencing 1 John 4:19 to counter the common mistake of demanding children love their parents first.
Three key recommendations include:
- Discover what fills the love tank of each of your children individually
- Understand your child's unique love language
- Focus less on teaching them to do things right and more on making them feel loved
The Bishop concluded with the powerful assertion that "love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8a) and has the capacity to restore any child separated from parental love and care, just as God's love brought reconciliation through Jesus Christ.
