“…the family of the godly stands firm.” – Proverbs 12:7 (NLT)
One of God’s most precious and fragile creations came into existence the day He created family. God created family to function properly, to worship Him and flow together in unity, as an earthly expression of the divine order in heaven. He designed the family unit to experience and reproduce this kind of loving pattern throughout all generations (Gen. 1:28). Yet, throughout history, the enemy has tried to steal, kill and destroy. One of the most suffering institutions in the earth, not just in the secular world, but also within the body of Christ, is the family mountain. The enemy has wanted us to believe the lie that a “dysfunctional family” is a normal family... or even worse… trendy. We need to arise in this hour and stand strong to redeem our families from the pursuit of the evil one. We need to diligently protect the most precious gift that God has entrusted to us – our families. Family is extremely important to God and it should be of the highest priority to each one of us.
Even as I write this today, I am surrounded by moving boxes and misplaced furniture in a beautiful home that the Lord has provided. I am yearning for a massage from all the moving, packing, loading, unloading, unpacking and hours spent driving across Canada. I have felt very uncomfortable at times but my eyes were set on the goal ahead! Chaos and dysfunction is not my goal. I cannot allow my current circumstance to cloud my vision of what God has intended. He gave us a brand new home to be a place for His peace, rest, healing and a home of hospitality. That is my goal… now I need to focus on it. Whatever you pursue you will discover more fully. My goal = my family!!!! For quite a few years we have lived apart from our extended family. Since the beginning of this year, we felt very strongly for the sake of our children and ourselves that it was time to move back and be closer to the ones we love. We desire for our children to grow in their relationships with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We’ve learned that there’s nobody on earth like family. God has given you several gifts – consider them and tell them how much you love them! Let God give you strategy for your family.
Our family is our ministry and together my husband, Joshua and our two children, Lincoln and Liberty have experienced many wonders of God as we have served him together. We’ve travelled the nations as a family spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s always touched the hearts of people worldwide to see the four of us ministering alongside each other. The greatest keys we have discovered for nurturing our family relationships are to love, honor and respect one another. It’s essential to prefer and value one another and verbalize thanksgiving and gratitude for each one. Also learning how to have fun together and enjoy the individual uniqueness that each of us carries.
God created family. Not only is it worth protecting… but it’s worth pursuing for His Glory!