A Family Is...
A Family is a Place
To cry
To laugh
To vent frustration
To ask for help
And tease
And yell
To be kissed and hugged and smiled at.
A Family is People
Who care when you are sad
Who love you no matter what
Who share your triumphs
Who don't expect you to be perfect
Just grow with honesty
In your own direction.
A Family is a Circle
Where we learn to like ourselves
Where we learn to make good decisions
Where we learn to think before we do
Where we learn integrity and respect for others
Where we are special
Where we share ideas
Where we listen and are listened to
Where we learn the rules of life
To prepare ourselves for the world.
The world is a Place
Where anything can happen.
If we grow in a Loving Family
We are ready for the world.
In God's Family There Is Love
I came across the little poem above, one day as I was surfing the internet. And I realized that the author's words, which seemed to come from a young heart, reflected real insight. I wish I knew who wrote it because it conveys so much of what I believe a godly family should be. When I say this, I am not only referring to individual families, but to our church and neighborhood families, as well. It would do us great good to consider the author's words in describing what a family should be.
When you think about it, there are all different kinds of families. There are biological families, blended families, adoptive families, extended families, school and work families, organizational families, team families, community families, and more. Each of us belongs to a family, whether it be small or large. Most of us are part of more than one family. But the most wonderful thing is that we are ALL part of God's Family!
It is in God's Family that we have refuge and find strength to face the day-to-day challenges life brings. In God's Family we are accepted, loved and cared for as His children. Each and every one of us is unique and special to our Heavenly Father. In His Family we find shelter, comfort, guidance, strength, and peace, as we learn to receive God's love and to love Him and others in return.
In God's Family, there are children with many colored faces, differing characteristics, and from all walks of life. We are all different because He created us that way. He delights in our differences and loves each one of us with a love that is everlasting and unconditional. It is here in God's Family that we discover what a loving Father our Creator really is and that we learn and grow in grace and wisdom, as we receive and share His love.
In today's world, we are faced with so many challenges and external forces which threaten to destroy our families. Being a survivor of divorce, myself, I can certainly identify with these challenges. At a time when there is so much talk concerning "family values" and what an "ideal family" should be, it is important that we remember who we are as God's children and that we strive to uphold the loving values taught in His Word. By "His Word", I am referring not only in His written word, the Bible, but to the true Word of God- Jesus Christ His Son. He is the Living Word of God to us and the ultimate example of God's love for humankind.
Always remember... in God's Family there is Love, first and foremost. True "family values" are those taught in the book of I Corinthians, chapter 13, in the Ten Commandments, and in the words of Jesus found in Matthew 22:36-40*. Individual families are as different and unique as the members who belong to them. And an "ideal family" is one where God is honored and where love abounds!
May God Bless You Abundantly!
Love in Christ,
Sister Angela Dobbins
Labels: blended families, children of divorce, divorce, family, family values, God's family, God's love, home, love thy neighbor, step families, what is a family
