Recently, my son and his family visited for spring break. Florida is a popular spring break destination, and even more so when you don’t have to pay for a hotel. I love that. I bet I look forward to spring break as much as the kids do! It’s an enticing proposition for my family to come here since it’s not really warm up north yet.
My son’s visit was wonderfully enjoyable. I was sad when it ended. And this got me thinking about family ties. There is a bond, a closeness that most families share. It stretches across the miles, and absence only strengthens it. Even if families don’t get along all the time, that bond remains an underlying link between them.
No two families are alike. And no two members of any family are alike. This presents an interesting dynamic because these different people must learn to live together as a family. Think about it… It starts when two people from different families decide to get married. They have a lovely wedding, an exciting honeymoon, then they must learn to live together and make a life for themselves. As well as they thought they knew each other, beginning life together is an adjustment. Two unique people from two unique upbringings must meld together and become a new family. This is not an easy task. But people do it every day. It’s a process that takes work and time. There must be compromise and a willingness to change. It also involves putting selfishness aside.
Ephesians 5:31 – For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
During this process, these two different people from different backgrounds, with different ideas, and different opinions, may decide that they want a child. So, they have a baby, and this precious newborn adds a whole new set of challenges to their lives. Diverging opinions can resurface because of different upbringings. Stress may build from unanticipated newborn pressures and sleep deprivation. It is not an easy task. But some people do it multiple times! 😊
Every stage of raising children offers its own set of challenges because as previously stated, no two members of any family are alike. As children grow, they are exposed to outside influences, which play a role in their forming their own opinions. And these opinions may be contrary to their parents’ opinions. When children are young, parents can guard and direct the information their children receive. But as children grow, go to school, make friends etc., they start to develop their own ideas outside their parents’ sphere of influence. It takes consistent work for parents to instill the proper values that they want their children to have, while allowing them to learn and grow on their own. It is not an easy task. But parents know it’s necessary.
Teenagers are driven to express their independence. They may disagree with their parents just for the sake of disagreeing. They so badly want to be grown-ups, but without the responsibilities entailed. Stress may build from unanticipated teenager pressures and sleep deprivation. It is not an easy task. But people do it and survive it every day. (And if you have teenagers at home now, my prayers are with you.)
Rearing children is not only a challenging endeavor, but also one of the most satisfying things people can do. What a privilege it is to be an integral part of a child’s development into adulthood! It is a daunting responsibility, but seeing a child grow into a conscientious adult makes the struggles and the stresses worth every minute. It is a rewarding task. And people do it every day!
All of this is to say that it may seem illogical to combine two very different people into “one flesh”, but God instituted that relationship. God compares the husband/wife relationship to Christ’s relationship with the church. And to add new souls to that “one flesh” may seem completely overwhelming, but having children is also God’s design. Families are a vital part of life. God intended people to be together in families. He wanted that relationship to be an example of His relationship with us. He is our Father, and we are His kids.
A friend of mine said in a Bible teaching, “Families take work because there are people in families and people are messy. And there are kids in families and kids are really messy.” This is true for our earthly families and for God’s heavenly family as well. We are all different and we all are messy. We all have our good qualities and our not so good qualities. We have our ups and downs. But there is one thing that takes care of it all and that is LOVE. The tie that binds any family together is love. And the greatest love is God’s love. In 1 Corinthians 13, it says; “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (Charity is the love of God.)
Love covers for our shortcomings and mends our broken hearts. Love heals our wounds and builds us up. Love supports us and helps us to be victorious in all our endeavors. It is our commitment to loving our families that sustains them. Whether your earthly family is large or small, close or distant, tight or aloof, you can never go wrong by loving them. No one can ever get too much love!!
Note to my readers: Sending my love to you, my family of readers. Thanks for reading!!