The Treasures of Family - by Karen Finn
Webster’s Dictionary defines family as “a group of people connected by blood or marriage and sharing common ancestry,” or “a group or class of like things”. In Old Testament times, family represented a larger body than what we’ve come to define as a family unit. Persons related by blood, marriage, slave-ship and animals (yes, animals!) were considered family, if all resided in the same household.
Your parents, siblings, and extended family members…all are hand-picked by God. We don’t get a choice on the family we are born into, do we? But, make no mistake; your lineage was divinely ordained of the Lord. Ultimately, being born again into His family is the most cherished position of all!
Recently, I observed a number of scenarios which made me
think of the significance of family:
- an elderly man tenderly caring for his wife of sixty years, who is mentally impaired by Alzheimer’s disease.
- a young man, competing in an important athletic competition, encouraged by an audience of loved ones, grandparents and siblings.
- a young mother, preparing for the birth of her second child in a few weeks, eagerly anticipates the arrival of a new family member.
- a teenage girl saying her final farewell to a beloved grandfather, four months after the loss of her father.
Each of these situations shows the depth and demonstration of familial love, the uniqueness of its bond. Many of the challenges and changes that we face are more manageable with the assistance of another human being. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 stresses the benefits and blessings of not being alone: “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
When the Holy Spirit is present in our interactions, there exists a supernatural support system. The common thread of Christianity works in our spirits, cementing us in unity and faith. Verse 12 of the same chapter states an additional claim of strength with this statement: “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Our very
best relationships should include the security and stronghold of
God’s Holy Spirit.
The values and traditions we uphold in adulthood are usually instilled in the formative years of childhood. Our well-being rests upon the very foundation of a family unit. It’s a place of nurture, instruction and discipline, where memories are made and motives are pure. Life’s lessons on dealing with conflict, cooperation and management can be attributed to the experiences and time shared with family members. It takes only one to carry on a legacy…
As the Thanksgiving season approaches, allow thankfulness to abound in your heart, giving praise to God for a most wondrous treasure—that of family!
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