chapter of Genesis: "A man leaves his father and
mother and is united to his wife, and they become
one flesh" (2:24). When two souls come together in
marriage to form a new "one," ideally they share the
same type of intimacy that exists in the Godhead
between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Families
imitate God's work of creation as children are
born. Families can replicate God's grace by acts of
that occur. And God intended for acts of worship to originate in the
family and for it to be the place for instruction in His ways and for the
very life of God to be lived out in the challenges and joys of daily living.
be free. Further, when the members of the family surrender their
own self-interest for their family members, they are most likely
to become the individuals that God intended them to be.
Rather than giving up, we can offer the family we have to Him. And in
the operation of God's grace the broken places can be healed, even if
some scars remain. Where the family is divided between believers and
unbelievers, the believers have a readymade mission field where the
superiority of life in Christ can be lived out. Rather than despairing about
the defects, we can praise God for what He can do through our family. After
all, a dented old metal pitcher carries water as well as the finest goblet.
It's the water that matters, not the container.
first think of our nuclear family, the family into which
we were born and in which we grew up. For some, the
concept of the nuclear family is a stabilizing thought.
For others, it brings to mind foster parents, adoptive
parents or extended family members who nurtured
them through childhood in place of birth parents.
at church, work or in the neighborhood. Sometimes
Army has become like extended family. And we are all part of the human
family. You might recall an episode of the sitcom "Mad About You" in
which within just a few connections everyone was related to Kevin Bacon.
God as "our Father." The implications of our universal family
and our shared heavenly Father are many and significant.
nuclear, extended and universal family relationships, and perhaps
most of all to consider our relationship to our Father.
strengthen the care, acceptance and unity expressed within the family?
These are challenging enough questions for the nuclear family, let alone
extended families and the universal family. It will make us a stronger and
better Salvation Army to consider our life together as taking part in God's
family and understand that in serving others we are caring for family.
Henry Cao
Sandy Dossey
www.publications.salvationarmyusa.org
twitter.com/SAWarCry
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