Ten Things to be Thankful For, Day 2: Family
When we think of family, what comes to your mind? Are you thinking back to when you were a child, and all those memories come flooding back? One of my favorite memories with my father was no matter where we lived, we always met up at Allentown at Christmas time to shop for our wives. We would go downtown to Hess’s and then over to Leh’s to look at all the great Christmas decorations and see what we could find for our wives. Of course, we always went to Marco’s pizza and Zandy’s for steak sandwiches. We did this for over 22 years straight, and it is a memory I will never forget.
What is a family? “A kinship group consisting of a family nucleus and various relatives, such as grandparents, usually living in one household and functioning as a larger unit. One’s family is conceived of as including aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and sometimes close friends and colleagues.” This definition is what I found in Dictonary.com, but what does the Word of God say is a family? According to the website of Biblesprout.com, I see the following definition of how God and the Bible describe the family: God’s plan for the family is that the husband be subject to Christ; the wife be in subjection to the husband; and the children be in subjection to the parents. The husband is not to rule over his wife as an absolute dictator, but he does have the authority to make decisions on matters affecting the family.
In Ephesians 5:25, the supreme responsibility of husbands regarding their wives is to love them with the same unreserved, selfless, and sacrificial love that Christ has for His church. This is the foundation of a Christian family. A family is a unit that is to work together, just as the Church family is to be unified, working together to uplift all that are part of the family. It does not matter where you come from or who you are, we are to follow Christ’s example and love everyone. We say at our church that we are a community, a family, and we need to care for each other, as we do for our own family.
Here are some Bible verses on the importance of family
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
1 Corinthians 13:4 – 8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Families today are made up of many different scenarios. The most important part of the family is that we are to be as one, loving one another and caring for one another. This Thanksgiving, whether you are with your family or possibly just talking with them on the phone or on Zoom, remember that the family is one thing we can be thankful for. We need to understand that life is short, and tomorrow is not promised, so hopefully this Thanksgiving we can truly be connected to everyone in our family.
God’s blessings on you and your family,
Timothy Howells, Sr.