The family unit, the basic building block of society, is disintegrating
rapidly in the United States today. As
more and more reports are published on family demographics, we see that an
increasing amount of couples are opting out of marriage and choosing
co-habitation, the majority of divorced family with kids can only look
to a mother-figure for support (75 %),[1]
and of course more and more families feel the strain of the economic recession
and the stress of being out of work.
Yet even among families who seem whole and complete by statistical
standards, harsh words and tones, disconnection and isolation, and a general
lack of love pervade the home.
When things seem hard, the story of Joseph in the Bible
speaks to us: “maybe I can never live up to my father’s expectations…but at
least he hasn’t considered killing me! (As Joseph’s brothers did.) Maybe my brother
and I don’t get along, but at least he hasn’t sold me into slavery!”
The main thing we learn from the story of Joseph as it
relates to the modern family is to fix our identity in God’s love. Emotional wounds
from our family hurt more than pain caused by anyone else. If we don’t fix our
identity in God’s love for us, it would be easy to live our lives as an abused
animal lashing out with barred teeth to anyone who comes near. Yet when we realize our status as children of
God and found our lives on this truth, we are able to offer grace to those who
have hurt us…breaking the cycle of affliction, just as Joseph did.
Are you placing the love of God as the central influence in
your household? Or do other things (like the media, friends or the stresses of
the world) take prominence?
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from
God. Everyone who loves has been born of
God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, because God is love.
This how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into
the world that we might live through him.
This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his
Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”. 1 John 4:7-11
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