Psalm 127:3-5 Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
What does family look like to you? I’m willing to guess that everyone who answered this question would give a slightly different response. There are many who still have the traditional family unit, but many more families aren’t as traditional. My mom and dad divorced when I was 11 years old. Later, my dad remarried, and our new family unit became one of a dad, stepmom, and SIX daughters! Raising six girls under one roof had to be hard on my dad and stepmom, but I’m so very thankful that under that roof we were shown love, taught about Christ, and were raised in the church. I owe my foundation as a christian primarily to the teachings of my daddy, and I will be forever grateful that he pointed me in the direction of Christ.
My current family unit consists of my husband, myself, two stepsons and two adopted children. I tell people all the time that I didn’t birth any of them, but I couldn’t love them even an ounce more if I had. I don’t consider my kids step or adopted. I consider them mine. I would never ever try to replace Conner and EJ’s birth mom. I couldn’t if I tried. She was a wonderful woman called home to the Lord too soon. Even though the kids know that I would never try to replace her as their mom, it doesn’t make them any less my sons. I have such a great love for my family, and my children and grandchild are a monumental part of that love. I can’t explain it. It’s just an all consuming love. When I married Jeff, I didn’t just marry him, I married the whole family, and I didn’t just fall in love with Jeff, I fell in love with the whole family. We are one. We are family.
Another family unit to consider is the church family. Oh what joy is to be found in the gathering together with my family of believers. We realized how terribly we missed gathering as a church body for a period of time during this pandemic, and I think that brought even more value to the church family unit. I love my church family.. We talk to one another, encourage one another, share devotionals with one another, and try to help one another with any needs that arise. We are family. We have so much love for one another, and it is such a great comfort to know that these people are my people! God’s family is my family.
This brings me to my third famly unit. The family of God. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are immediately adopted into the family of God. No paperwork needed. No attorneys, no documents, no court hearings, just immediate adoption into the family. We become children of the one true God, and He becomes our Father. We become children of the King of kings, Lord of lords, the almighty God of the universe! Isn’t that the most awesome thing in the whole wide world? The special love that we have for our own children, our spouses, our family and our church family pales in comparison to the great love that our heavenly Father has for each and every one of us. You are a child of the One who created the heavens and the earth. You are an heir to throne!
Your family unit may look very different from mine, and that’s okay. We are all uniquely made, and our lives are intertwined together although vastly different. But if you have a relationship with our Lord and Savior, you are part of the best family in the entire world, and you are my family! God loves you and so do I! If you aren’t part of God’s family today, it’s not too late. Call on the Father today and join the family of God!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 