Family. Just hearing the word can stir a swirl of emotions \u2014 joy, pain, hope or disappointment. But what if I told you that your understanding of family, whether beautiful or broken, is only the beginning of a much larger story? A story that God is intricately weaving, where family is not just about shared bloodlines, but about the transformative, redemptive love that God offers. Let\u2019s explore how Jesus redefines family by his grace and what that means for us, whether our earthly families bring comfort or heartache. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s something captivating about a picture-perfect family. A family filled with love, laughter, unity and grace can be deeply inspiring. For those blessed to have that, it\u2019s a beautiful gift. But let\u2019s be real \u2014 most families don\u2019t look like that all the time. Many of us have experienced the sting of hurt, frustration and even betrayal from those who were meant to be our safe haven. Family can be both a source of deep joy and great pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why building a healthy family \u2014 whether it\u2019s your biological family, a blended one, or even your church family \u2014 requires more than human effort. It takes the hand of God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I feel overwhelmed by the challenges of nurturing a loving and supportive family, God gently reminds me of his faithfulness in my own life, especially within my blended family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Jim and I married over 21 years ago, we brought together five children from our previous marriages \u2014 two from Jim and three from me. A blended family might sound simple, but anyone who\u2019s experienced one knows the unique challenges it brings. There were times when simply being in the same room was difficult. We each carried our own wounds and baggage, and it took years of prayer, intentional effort, and most importantly, God\u2019s grace to begin to find and keep unity. Through it all, Jesus is our \u201ctrue north,\u201d helping us find our way to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, our family isn\u2019t perfect, but God has done something truly beautiful. We affectionately call ourselves the \u201csmoothie family\u201d because we\u2019re such a blend of different backgrounds \u2014 step, half, adopted. And even our grandchildren are part of blended families. But this blending came with a cost: We had to let go of our preconceived notions of what family should look like, smash some of our expectations, and surrender our dreams for what God had in store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the mess, God\u2019s grace has brought beauty from our brokenness. What Jesus has shown me is that no family is beyond his reach. No matter how complicated, broken or messy, God\u2019s love can bring healing. Our family\u2019s story is living proof! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The concept of family is God\u2019s creation, and even though sin brings dysfunction to our relationships, God\u2019s heart is to redeem and restore. Family is the language God uses to describe his relationship with us (see Deuteronomy 32:6, Isaiah 63:16, Matthew 6:9, Romans 8:15-16, John 1:12). One of my favorite verses is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.\u201d<\/em> \u20142 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our earthly families, no matter how complex, point us to a greater reality \u2014the family of God. In Mark 3, Jesus offers a revolutionary view of family, one that transcends blood relations and is rooted in doing God\u2019s will. Through faith in Jesus, we are born again into an eternal family \u2014 a family that lasts forever in harmony. Our love for this spiritual family should surpass even our love for our earthly families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus was in a house with his disciples when a vast crowd gathered to see him. His family came to \u201ctake charge of him,\u201d for they were concerned about his well-being. They sent someone to fetch Jesus, saying, \u201cYour mother and brothers are outside looking for you.\u201d (Mark 3:32 NIV). Jesus responds: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Who are my mother and my brothers?\u2019 he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, \u2018Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God\u2019s will is my brother and sister and mother.\u2019\u201d<\/em> \u2014Mark 3:20-35, (NIV) <\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, Jesus\u2019 response seems almost dismissive of his earthly family. But what Jesus is really doing is expanding the definition of family to include all who do the will of God. True family, Jesus tells us, isn\u2019t about genetics \u2014 it\u2019s about a shared commitment to following God\u2019s heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This story reminds me of how often our understanding of family falls short. Jesus invites us into a spiritual family that can bring the healing and wholeness our earthly families may lack. He\u2019s calling us to trust him with our families (especially church family), no matter how broken or blended they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Greek word for \u201cwill\u201d in this passage is thel\u0113ma<\/em>, which means \u201cdesire\u201d and speaks to God\u2019s deep desires and purposes for our lives. This spiritual family \u2014 rooted in pursuing God\u2019s heart \u2014 is transformative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we embrace Jesus, we are adopted into his eternal family \u2014 a family that cannot be shaken. And as we grow closer to God, he begins to heal and restore our earthly families too. Jim and I have seen this firsthand, as God has brought redemption to our blended family in ways we never imagined possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter where you come from \u2014 whether your family brings you joy or pain \u2014 trust the love of Jesus to knit you together with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You may be amazed at how God\u2019s grace can begin to work healing and transformation in your earthly family too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters, for the glue that binds us together, which is your blood. Father, continue to lead us closer and closer to you, that we might be in your inner circle as your children. Draw us close and let us experience the beauty of a real church family and spiritual family this week in our lives. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Family. Just hearing the word can stir a swirl of emotions \u2014 joy, pain, hope or disappointment. But what if I told you that your understanding of family, whether beautiful or broken, is only the beginning of a much larger story?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":543,"featured_media":30533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/9.23-large-blog-image.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/543"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30531"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33632,"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30531\/revisions\/33632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themom.co\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Trusting God with Our Families<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reflection:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n