We Are Family

What comes to mind when you hear the word family? Does it bring a smile to your face as you reflect on wonderful times you’ve had with family at some point in your life? Does it bring a serious expression to your face as you are reminded of conflicts within your family that are causing stress, hurt, and division? Welcome to the family!

How would you define family? What does it mean to be family? Our first thought may be a traditional definition of a group of people associated by blood or marriage. This describes many families through the ages and still today. We hear of this kind of family frequently in the Bible. We see lists of generations. We hear of interactions between father and son, mother and child, sibling rivalry, marriages blessed, and marriages destroyed. We read how God established families for support, love, procreation, and protection.

Sometimes families don’t work out like we would hope. Anger, abuse, separation, divorce, estrangement, have all infiltrated our family systems through our failures, sin, and poor decisions. Just as marriage is widespread, so are a growing number of people who don’t feel very connected to family. While we want to affirm and support the strength and importance of the traditional family, we also realize that some people discover a family-like support system of other people. We often refer to the members of a church as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Or, this might include those who serve(d) in the military, college friends, groups that share a common purpose or interest like a hobby, activity, civic group, co-workers, support group, and neighbors. It is possible to be blessed by a traditional family while also feeling the support of one of these groups. When a person doesn’t feel connected to their traditional family, these groups can take on greater importance and be a blessing as well.

We see our individual lives and the complexity of interacting with other people. God see’s the big picture, the totality of all people, and loves them very much. Frequently, perhaps daily, God places you in presence of people who feel hurt, lonely, or rejected. You, through God’s direction and His power, have the opportunity to reach out, connect, and have a positive engagement with people who are so desperately needing and wanting it. It’s an awesome calling! The added bonus for us is we benefit from that encounter as well. God works through the people connections He creates!

4832 Ponderings
How would you describe your family?
Who are people in your life that feel more like family rather than simply friends?
Look for people that may be needing a positive human connection and initiate the contact. Pray for God’s guidance.