Where Can We Bring Them?
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7
Insight
Families are filled with broken people who have their own struggles and failures. Even though we know this to be true in our heads, we struggle to believe this in our hearts. Why is this the case?
All we see, or at least all we center our attention on, are those “picture perfect” examples of ideal families seen in advertisements, movies, and television shows. These pictures of perfection also flood our social media feeds where family after family posts the best of themselves.
Even in Christian circles, we’ve been engrained to dress in our “Sunday best.” The blow-up that happened on our way to church or the arguments that might have taken place during the weekend have no business being spoken when we worship. But, if we can’t bring our problems to church then where can we bring them?
Every family has a story, no matter how hard they try to dress it up or hide it. Silently, we struggle alone. We lose hope and heart. We doubt that anything will change. We reason that our situation, or that family member who went their own way, is too far gone for God’s redemption.
This is simply not the case. God has a way of bringing beauty out of brokenness. If redemption means God uses everything, then it is safe to assume God wastes nothing, including our pain, heartbreak, and shame. We can run to Jesus in our mess, and He gets us. God is kind enough and strong enough to handle all of it. When our children or life brings us to our knees, we’re in the best position for God to help us.
As we face disappointment, we shouldn’t just wait for Jesus to act, we must wait WITH Him expectantly. Prayerlessness is our declaration of independence from God. On the other hand, prayer is keeping company with God. He infuses us with new strength as we stay connected to Him. While we wait for answers to prayer, we must ask ourselves whether we are waiting with our worries, doubts, and fears, or are we waiting with Jesus?
Reflection
As it relates to your family situation, where does your heart need to be encouraged? Why have you lost faith and hope in these circumstances?
Prayer
God, You extend grace to everyone, including myself. No one is too far from Your reach. Help me to realize that there are no perfect people and no perfect families. We all have our own struggles, failures, and regrets. May I be transparent and honest with You, and others, about what is going on in my world. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
