This is my family, and they had traveled to pick me up from the airport. Two weeks seemed like a long time away from them, and I was ready to finally sleep in my own bed. Families are a blessing, aren't they? The amazing part our families is that they truly are given to us. Unlike friends, we do not need to go out of our comfort zone to meet them, or maintain a strict relationship with boundaries. Families have been with us from the time of birth and we grow and mature in the midst and love of them. They are a gift to us that we don't deserve, but we do need.
What is the Lord's intention for a family? I was so blessed to lead an adult Bible Study class while in Ruston Louisiana, and I know the Holy Spirit revealed its answer to me. My grandma handed me a pamphlet of devotionals and commentaries on Exodus 7, and the Bible. The verses in Exodus 7 refer to the rise of Moses and his strength to speak to the Pharaoh, and to ask for Israel's freedom from Egypt. As I read the Word, I continued to remember that Moses, the prophet and wise man, had a serious obstacle when serving the Lord. His voice, a powerful gift the Lord had blessed Moses seemed to be hindered, and could not be used to its fullest extent. The question arises, "Why would the Lord put the burden of a speech impediment on Moses, His chosen one?" He does not make any mistakes, does He? We realize that this was the Lord's plan all along, when we read on in the Word. Moses' brother, Aaron was also blessed with a gift. His gift was a voice. His powerful words were spoken to the Pharaoh in the presence of his brother. Moses heard and responded to the Lord, and Aaron spoke. These brothers were willing and capable of serving the Lord in different ways. God blessed each one differently, amazingly. The power of our Heavenly Father was heard through the gifts the Lord placed in earthly men.
Yes, Moses was well...a crucial and imperative point of glory for the Lord and all of His kingdom. I am beginning to think though that not only are we called to be men and women whose all-out desire is to serve Him, but we are also supposed to regard our families as members of an immediate body of which we can serve Him with. God has intricately placed each and every member of your family alongside you for a reason. Appreciation and gratitude should flow from our hearts when we comprehend this.
Why then, do families break apart and stray away from their original, perfect structure? How can sin begin to enter the picture and disrupt God's divine harmony and original intention? The only thing to keep a family in line with God's original intention, is to begin to mold themselves into the family that God originally creates. Simple, right? Sadly, sin always seems inevitable when we are so surrounded by the flesh every day. The only way to begin to move from the flesh, is to become closer to Christ, and His living word.
Divorce hit home for me when I was in the fifth grade. As an only child, I could not comprehend what it was or why it was happening to my family. Over six years later I can begin to see the multitude of blessings that have overflown out of something outside God's line. My five siblings are some of the most diverse and incredible people I could have been blessed with. The Lord knew that I needed family members to walk along the rough patches and times of hope. My siblings and step-parents are some of the most diverse and influential people in my life, and I love them so much. The Lord has blessed my families so much. It seems that what I lack, they posess, and vice versa. Our families are just small groupings of the Lord's family and and Kingsdom. Let us be just as joyful and grateful to be a part of our immediate, earthly family members, as we are to be a part of God's eternal kingdom.
Exodus 7:10
So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
