For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length, and width, height, and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 HCSB
We learn a great deal from our family. We learn what is important and what can wait. We learn what we should value and how we should behave. Family members often pass down certain characteristics and traits. Our genetic makeup is determined by our family.
When my husband and I first started dating, I was a bit concerned. You see to me he looks nothing like his mom or his dad. I wondered about this for a few weeks and then I met his mom’s brothers, mystery solved.
I often joke with my family that I believe there was some mix-up at the hospital when I was born. My whole family is thin. I’m not so fortunate. But where I was fortunate is that even if it was by mistake I was brought home from the hospital into a loving family. I was raised by parents who loved me. I had a mom that saw to it that I was in church every time the doors were opened. She made sure that I understood the great love that God has for me. I had a paternal grandmother who left a legacy of loving the Lord for her grandchildren. Grandma Nancy taught us the importance of having a close relationship with our Lord and Savior. She exhibited mercy and grace and always had this peace that passed understanding.
As I write this, it is not lost on me that many people are not so fortunate. Many people are not born into families where they feel loved and appreciated. Now we can’t choose the family that we were born into, but we can choose our Christian family. Know that even if your biological family has let you down that Christ is here to lift you up. You have a heavenly father that loved you enough to send His one and only Son to die for your sins so that you may spend heaven in glory with Him (John 3:16). God doesn’t make mistakes, you are wonderfully and fearfully made (Psalm 139:13-16). Know that He has a purpose for you. Know that by entering into a close relationship with Him you can overcome problems of the past. You can trust in Him.
Perhaps you were raised in a loving Christian family, but like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), you have strayed from your upbringing. Perhaps you have abandoned a loving Christian home for life in the world, it’s not too late. Return to your loving Father, He will run to meet you right where you are. His arms are open wide.
Perhaps you have your own family and you love them and want to do what is best for them. John 15:13 tells us that there is no greater love than when a man will lay down his life for someone else. Are you willing to lay down your life for your spouse or your children? Are you willing to lay down the life that this world has to offer to set an example of the life that God offers.
Do you feel secure in your relationship with Christ, but pray for members of your family that you feel are lost and hurting? Have you tried to witness to them only to have them turn away and not want to hear what you have to say? Keep praying, maybe you have planted the seed and someone else will come along and water it and make it grow. Pray for God to put someone in their life that they will listen to and that will help them understand the great love that God has for them.
We are all God’s children. We are all members of this great family of the human race. We all need a close relationship with our Lord and Savior. If you are experiencing this, then share it with your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you have never experienced it, then turn to God and experience the love, mercy, and grace that only he can offer.
Have a great day!