ACE #272: We Really Are Family

Sister Sledge used to sing this song called, "We Are Family."  It talked about how close the relationship was between the sisters, but also how they encouraged and supported each other through showing genuine love and concern for one another's well-being.  They issued an invitation to "get up everybody and sing!" 

This past weekend we had our annual family reunion.  It was good to see some of our family members that we hadn’t seen since the previous year or perhaps longer.  This time was a little different.  There were people there who were not biological family, but part of our community and our local churches.  It made me really consider how much the definition of family has changed over the years. 
 

I believe that family is not just for those who we call “kin” or share genes with, but for those who we love and who show us genuine love and support right back.  They are the people that show up for us in moments of celebration, but also in moments of sorrow and distress. It also made me think about how the enemy tries so hard to destroy families so that marriages are broken, relationships are strained, and legacies are non-existent...even in the church.  When families are in turmoil and strife, it damages the inheritance for the next generation. 

 

As the body of Christ, we are also part of the family of believers.  When one part of the body is hurting, the rest should be responsive to that hurt.  When one part of the body is rejoicing, the rest should also rejoice.  We don't get to choose our families, but we do get to choose how we treat one another.

So, today, I would encourage those who are not in fellowship and communion with their families to make a prayerful and intentional effort to restore love, peace, hope, and joy as God would have each of us to do.  Somebody has to take the first step...

 
Psalm 127:3-5
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

Psalm 128:3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Proverbs 1:8
Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

Proverbs 11:29
Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

Proverbs 12:7
The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.