Our home and family should afford us the opportunity for peace, yet many times we find ourselves in chaos... children fighting, parents fighting, children and parents fighting, people literally running away from and slamming the door on their problems... what should serve as a safe haven from the rest of the world, suddenly feels like one of the toughest places to be. You want to be anywhere, but home.
As, I thought more about this it became more and more clear to me that God provided us with the example of the Holy Family to model what a family should look like.
Are we going to doubt ourselves and one another? Certainly!
Was Mary afraid when the angel Gabriel appeared to her? (Luke 1:29 -30) Well, of course!
Was Joseph planning to divorce Mary quietly after he found out she was with child? (Matthew 1:19) Yep!
And, did Jesus do what children sometimes do? (Luke 3:43) Wander off…Yes, he did.
Did Mary and Joseph search for him and worry? (Luke 3:48) You BETCHA!
Through it all they stuck together. Why you ask? They understood that their heavenly Father was in charge. They were obedient (Luke 1:38; Matthew 1:24; Luke 3:49) and trusted that He had a plan (Jeremiah 29:11).
It can be hard to stick together, though, when we are running from here to there, possibly ignoring the needs of those closest to us. In an effort to keep your family the priority it is always a good idea to stop to check-in with God and ask... Is this what I need to be doing right now? Could I go about this differently? Is this what you have called me to do? When the answer is “no” we have to be willing to accept His response or pray for God to work in our heart to accept his response. Many times, He may be asking us to slow down and listen... to take something off of our plate.
He may be asking us to spend more time with Him, so that He can work on and cultivate a sanctuary in our heart, mind, and soul. So that we can truly live in peace.
So, how do you stop running? How do you stop slamming the door? How do you make enough room on your plate for God? How do you find peace in your family?
Return it to God.
Pray this Prayer over your family each day “Lord, I ask you to call in all of the angels and saints to surround and protect our home. I ask that you cover us with your love and secure us heart, mind, body and soul. I ask that you help us to make good sound decisions about what we let into our home. Finally, God I ask that you help us return it to the sanctuary you intended it to be.”
Return to your foundation.
As the leader in your home ask yourself: What was the vision that I had for my home/my family when I was young? Before my spouse and I married what, did we intend our family to look like? Then ask God to provide you with clarity about what he wants for your life and ask him to show you how you can have the family that the two of you want.
Invest in the lives of the people in your home.
Work to build them up every day. L.U.V.E them... Listen, Understand, Validate, and Empathize with them (no it’s not a term I developed, but one my husband shared with me after learning it from his counselor).
Apologize, when you make a mistake or hurt someone’s feelings.
Say “I am sorry I hurt you.” If the person is willing to talk, then talk about it. Forgiveness is one of God’s greatest gifts. Forgive yourself and the other person and move forward together in love.
Stop to pray together as a family every day.
If you find it difficult to gather everyone at the same time, then consider creating a group text where you can lead your family in scripture or prayer each day. This is also a wonderful way to keep everyone on the same page when you cannot be together.
Discipline yourself.
Consistently show up for your family. Living with and learning from your family each day is sure to bring much love, laughter and of course, sunshine and rainbows which is an incredible gift that should be protected and preserved.
Have a beautiful day ya’ll!
All My Love,
Jen
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