I Corinthians 13:4-7
We choose our friends and we choose our mates, but we do not choose our family. Many may wish they could choose their family, but God has reserved this choice for himself alone. When it comes to moms and dads leading their family it is important to recognize the significance of the responsibility we have been given. We have been chosen by God Himself to provide, nurture, discipline, care for, train and encourage these children. God has given us all the responsibilities and privileges of developing and leading these children to grow up young men and women. Considering this, we have an awesome responsibility that deserves consideration as special relationships given to us in God’s providence. We have included this relationship as one of our families Core Values.
“God chose us to be a family and has given each of us to the other and we are to give special priority to one another. We will respect the interests and will generously love and support each member of our family.”
We expect our kids to recognize this special relationship and give priority to each other. This means we give a higher respect and place the needs of each other as a greater priority than the needs of our friends or community. We do this by recognizing and supporting the various interests of each other. I have three children presently 10, 13, and 14 years old. They are all very different and have grown up supporting each others varied interests. My middle son just loves to wander in the woods and the whole family recogizes his need to have us enjoy this with him. There are many times that we will do what he wants to do that certainly would not be the first choice for the rest. We may go for a hike in the back woods or drive out to local bird sanctuary. Once there we all see him come alive with energy and enthusiasm as he bounds through the woods pointing out the sites, insects and animals.
We will generously love and support each other though the good times and the challenging times. We look to the apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church to guide our definition of love. Love is patient, love is kind and not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the trugh; bears all things, believes all things, hops all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Admittedly, we do not always live up to this standard, but it clearly describes what love looks like and gives us a pretty high goal to shoot for. Whether it be baseball tournaments, school productions, gymastic meets, household chores, or just serving each other we seek to love, support and keep the others interests and concerns in our forethought.
If you have not written down your Core Values or Core Beliefs for your family, consider the special relationship and awesome responsibility that God has chosen for you.
