It’s Sunday morning, yesterday, and we were stirring and getting ourselves ready for what has been a standard of life for generations of time. Today is about God, and church, and family. As the family grows and spreads, it’s more difficult to enjoy blood connection, but you do what you must at times to strengthen the bond. There is a field of study that deals with the science of family…
That’s what I’m thinking about today.
I woke this morning thinking about my home congregation and my church family in Washington. We have many family groups that spread across the miles and years, and these pandemic times have affected us all.
Anyone who knows me understands the order of priority in my life. First is my family that lives in my house. Right, Brenda? Right! If I must choose Location: Alaska… Washington… Texas… Yet my overarching Focus has always been: God, Family, Church.
We’ve given our lives and ministry to the Pacific NW. It’s been expensive and difficult to keep the Family connection alive. My bride is my strength and closest bond, and yet, the concept of a church family has been my strength no matter where I am. Why? It’s where I connect with others who are followers of God as I am.
Here’s My Thought Today
In the Bible, we find God in the very first verse. Family shows up by the third chapter, but the word “family” doesn’t show up until Leviticus. Church shows up as a word only in the New Testament, but the concept of worshipping God at a place and for purpose shows up after Adam and Eve leave the garden and is only mentioned after there is family.
In Matthew 6 we find Jesus teaching his followers important lessons in his famous “sermon on the mount”.
Caring for the Needy, Prayer, Fasting, Treasures in Heaven, and how not to be Anxious. It’s from this last section we find an important scripture that we use for many purposes.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
It’s an order of our priority and focuses! God first. His righteousness (Right Living). Everything else follows. Isn’t it unique that we find the order of connection to be in the section where He teaches about anxiety?
What IS Family?
Manson had a family, so too did the Addams… Bikers call their clan a family. Sports teams call themselves a family that supports each other for the win!
But are any of these legitimate families? Family is simply anyone who has “ancestral” connections shared by blood or legal ties.
Notice the two qualifiers. Blood. Legal ties.
When I claim to be in the “family of man,” then it’s simply my human bonds reaching across the aisle to the another who is sure to track their foundation back to the dawn of God’s timing. We all go back to Adam and Eve.
But those bonds are stretched thin when we start clarifying our history. Culture. Continents. Language. Race. Ethnicity. All seem to be barriers to that backward trek to the beginning. Where? Adam and Eve.
As mom and I were reminiscing about the idea of “family,” I began asking for details of heritage. We can only go back so far because few of us are good at keeping up the generations that track backward hundreds and thousands of years. Why? Lack of records (where’s the Family Bible?), distances, and a hundred myriad glitches make it difficult to connect. There be some strange stories in all of our past!
What To Do?
I’ve learned that there’s such a thing as a “close” family that’s different from those afar. Sometimes it’s difficult to know which category each falls into.
One thing about family, those that matter to your daily success of life are the family members that you really connect with. Sometimes even those connections grow dim.
I can claim family is someone who is not in my immediate ancestral heritage. Why? We all go back to Adam and Eve.
Visiting my brother’s church, I’ve made “family” connections with many people that are not immediately blood-related. Some of these dear friends are closer to me than a brother. You know what I mean. Some of these folks are closer to me than blood relatives who should be considered close, but it’s an impossibility for various reasons.
I have a “work” family that goes across the states and around the world. Equally, I do get to pick who slips into this family definition. That’s how I get to choose who’s part of my family. I found a good thought process of what a family can be defined as are found through these words from a person who studies “family dynamics.” It’s a relatively new study called “Family Science.”
Family Science
Maybe this is why family is difficult. It’s a science, and we all know not everyone is interested in scientific studies. Some enjoy the organic approach to what they define as their family, but some dig into the history and study of what defines a family.
Both approaches are necessary. When I don’t understand the science, then I can simply enjoy the organic approach and define what “my family” looks like.
Family Science: Maybe this is why family is difficult. It’s a science, and we all know not everyone is interested in scientific studies. Click To TweetFive years ago I posted this thought that I think sums it up family, but it also sums up the definition of being centered around the teachings and belief of God.
You don’t need a reason to do what is right,
or to help another person in need,
or to speak a kind word to everyone around you!
Nope. Not one reason!
If you need a reason, then I’m not sure we have anything in common.
Other than a scientific study, maybe the concept for the family is found in this thought. Do for others for absolutely no reason at all. This may just be the best definition of family around. Why? We are all part of the Family of Man.
Family Science Link Here Family Science Article
It’s me again. Enjoyed this very much. My family is close but I feel a distance from them because of MY absence in years past. I struggle with feeling connected sometimes.
Same here. It’s more about the distance for me.