In fact, God didn’t make family – He is family. God is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Just as a marriage (which is a core relationship within a family) represents Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:21), the family unit represents the Holy Trinity. This means that a family unit is a representation of the Trinity and therefore is a powerful force in the world. 

How do we know that? Because society hinges on families. In a world made up of broken families, we can see how when the family falls, culture digresses. This means that having strong families is vital; your family does not only affect the way that you grow up, but it affects your community, your local church and society. 

God births us into families – first naturally and then spiritually. We are nurtured, protected and grow in our natural families, learning how to serve and love one another. When God places you in a spiritual family, your local church, He uses your pastors and the body of Christ to mature and develop you in the Lord. Then, just as children grow up and begin to help their younger siblings develop, when you grow up spiritually in your local church, God then uses you to come alongside new believers as they mature in Christ. 

Our families are our training ground. It is within our families that we can practice God’s Word and it is where we learn how to love and serve one another. You cannot expect to love people outside of your home and serve the church if you cannot get it right with the people closest to you. When we love and serve each other in our families, not only do we mature and become people whom God can use, but our family is strengthened and along with it, our community.

Be encouraged today to make the decision to love and serve your family. This does not have to be a complicated thing and you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you know how to interact with your family in a way that will strengthen your relationship and develop you as a person!