The Family Structure - Love One Another

Our Friday morning charity crafters somehow got onto the subject of families. We had fun comparing the strange things that some of our family members did. We shared some of the sad things some were doing and some of the negative habits some had. We were not too surprised to find that, when looking at the entire family structure, there were similarities in all our families. By family structure, I mean not just immediate family, but also cousins, aunts and uncles, and even folks who have been adopted into families, whether officially or just lovingly.

I have a hard time with the phrase "dysfunctional family." I believe that by their nature, all families are dysfunctional. I believe that God created the family as the first place we all begin to learn to get along with each other.

The temptations each family member faces are not new. Our sins go way back to the days of Adam and Eve. The first family saw the death of a son because of jealousy. They saw the loss of paradise because of temptation and the desire for power. The only thing different these days are our material toys and tools. Aside from that, all families deal with jealousy, greed, lust, fear, gluttony, and all the rest.

When we are born, no matter whether we have a warm, loving family or an institutional one, we all face our first lesson: learning to get along with other human beings. How well we learn that lesson affects the rest of our lives.

Jesus himself instructed us in how his father wants us to get along:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34 (NAS)

Father, please bless every child born into our world with all the love and mercy possible, so that they may grow in wisdom as early as they can. For those of us who are full-grown, bless us, also, with that wisdom, that we may remember that we are all your children and that your fondest wish is that we all get along. Your own son, Jesus, reminded us of this.