Family: God’s Creation, Not Man’s Concept

I love the holiday season. I love the traditions, food, festivities, presents, and intentional bonding time with friends and family. But while these things often bring joy, they can also lead to added stress. Increased family time is not always for the faint of heart.

This time of year, it seems the concept of family is at the forefront of our thoughts more than at any other time.  Our yearning for family—family as it was meant to be, as it will be once we are united in heaven—becomes more prominent. It fills us with expectations, sometimes with joyful anticipation, sometimes with dread. It makes us hopeful for fresh chances or changes and contributes to our disappointment if things don’t come to fruition the way we envision. We so badly want a “perfect family,” or at least some version of it. Hallmark hasn’t done us any favors there.

Why is it so important? Why does family have such a hold on our hearts and souls? Why can’t we shake this incredible pull towards a connection that has the ability to energize or demoralize us with equal ease?

His first move was to bring Adam and Eve together, and when He did, they became a family that would expand and grow. The Bible is full of bloodlines, and God uses generations of families to set up the historical moments, people, and events of significance throughout the Bible.

Family matters.

It matters so much that He chose to actively participate in it when He sent Jesus to us. We all know the story of Christmas. Jesus was born as a human, coming to Earth in the form of a helpless baby.

A helpless baby with a family.

 Jesus was born into a family on purpose. His mother, Mary, had a mother, a father, siblings, and cousins. Joseph, Mary’s husband, came with his own set of family ties. This couple, the parents of the Messiah, went on to have other children. Jesus had siblings. He probably experienced sibling rivalry. He knew the pain of being misunderstood by brothers and sisters, of bearing the black sheep label, of walking a road that the rest of the family didn’t support or understand (see Matthew 13).

“Then Jesus entered the house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.  When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind’” (Mark 3:20-21).

Jesus’ family missed the point of His ministry. They were embarrassed by him. His brothers were not believers until after the cross (John 7:3-5).

I find as much comfort as I do frustration in this conundrum. How did they miss the point so clearly? They lived with him. They knew him. They experienced the blessing of his presence.

While this epic fail boggles my mind, it also eases my heart a bit. [Tweet “If Christ wasn’t spared the pain of family dysfunction, why should we expect a free pass?”]

Still, Jesus clearly believed in family. He criticized religious leaders for not following the Old Testament command to honor their parents. He provided for his mother’s security even as he went to the cross (John 19:26-27). His brothers were present in the upper room at Pentecost (Acts 1:12-14). It didn’t matter that they waited until the end to get there; their belief and support was accepted as soon as they decided to give it.

There’s an amazing lesson in that example alone. His gift of grace was theirs as much as anyone else’s.

Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Christ used the concept of family in so many of his examples because he looked at family the way it was meant to be, not the way we mess it up. He loves in a way that transcends every failing with limitless patience and boundless joy. We are his people, his inner circle, his tribe, and he delights in our presence. He has no agenda outside of genuine affection for us.

His command is that we look at each other the same way.

You are his child.  You are his pride and joy. So is your neighbor, your sister, your co-worker, your classmate, the crazy driver who cut you off, and the irritating woman in front of you in the checkout line.

We constitute God’s family. He rejoices when we join together. He loves to watch us gather, celebrate, and love. He’s prepared a place for us to do so forever in His presence.

That’s a whole lot of bonding time.

Holding to this truth while we’re here on earth is a great way to start.

Rebecca Greebon is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and child of the One True King. She has a passion for sharing with others how amazing they are, how much they are loved, and how blessed every day is, even when we are lost or distracted or completely over ourselves and the world. Rebecca blogs at theriverchick.com.

Photograph by Vickie McCarty.