‘Family’ For Everyone

family

From God’s perspective – nothing beats family!

 

“God sets the solitary in families;” Psalm 68:6 NKJV

 While praying for my immediate and extended family this morning I began to mentally list what ‘family’ has added to my life.

  • fellowship and love
  • patience and understanding
  • rebuke and correction
  • safety and security
  • times of fun and adventure
  • forgiveness and grace

The list could go on and it did as I pondered the benefits of being put into a family, especially the Walterman/Nybakken branches of the human tree.

Both Joanie and I have been blessed with family that encourages, embraces, enthuses, equips and emancipates. Parents and siblings alike have poured into our lives messages of ‘can do’ and guided us as we pursued our dreams and potential. Massively blessed to be sure!

But many haven’t been given this launch to life.

Tragically many were given obstacles to overcome, not head starts to succeed. They were regularly discouraged and either told they lacked skills or weren’t told anything at all. Many came out of fractured relationships or are currently emotionally separated from family. Theirs is often a lonely moving through life wondering how it could have been better and if it still could be.

While the word ‘family’ evokes precious and copious smile-making memories to some, it brings sadness and hopelessness to many others. God desperately wants human families to work. They are to be some of his most impressive testimonies to a world stuck on ‘self.’ He looks for someone to fly the white flag, give up rights, seek to restore what once was. He helps honest seekers find a way to fix things.

But when all else fails, God gives us second chances at family.

Here’s wonderful news for anyone who has less than good feelings about their earthly family. How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.” Ephesians 1:3-6 The Message

 God didn’t want anyone isolated from a ‘family’ so He provided a phenomenal backup. All the things we may have expected and dreamed of from the blood relationships in our lives are made available through our adopted brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. We share the blood of Christ.

This week consider this: If you got shortchanged by your family … check out your other Family! Get into fellowship with believers; work for unity in that family, for in those relationships God is able to bless your life with every good gift.

 

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