The Value of Family

In the early days of television, idyllic families were portrayed with short and funny moments together. They rarely dealt with an alcoholic father, a mentally ill mother, a rebellious teenager, or a child sick with cancer. Even though these aren’t pleasant moments for us to dwell on, it is the reality of real life families. While not every family has such difficult dysfunctions, we all have something or someone in our family that causes our hearts to hurt.

However, God values the family. In the Bible He set clear distinctions on the roles of spouses, parents, and children. He takes it seriously, as written in 1 Timothy 5:8, that “if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Every family has its own set of problems as well as opportunities for the faith. Married couples have the opportunity to model Christ’s relationship with the church, His bride. Parents have the opportunity to model the leading of their children to know God. Children have the opportunity to demonstrate obedience to their parents, leading to obedience to God.

Because of sin in the world, every family will be touched by difficulty and pain from the decisions of others. Yet because of Christ, there is hope for every family represented on earth. If just one family member has a relationship with Jesus, there is hope for an entire generation to walk in the light instead of in the darkness.

God values all families, even the dysfunctional ones. He can take the worst of the worst of people and transform individuals into new creations driven by His Spirit to overcome the enemy of all families.