RELATIVELY SPEAKING...weekly devotion

Thank you for joining us for this week's devotion.

It is my prayer that God will speak to you

thru my writing but more importantly thru His Word!

Families are a great importance to God. After all wasn't family God's idea in the first place? During the creation of the world, God made a man and then a woman to be man's companion. He told them that men and women would join together and become one flesh.

Throughout the Bible, we see commandments that God has given us in regard to family. But still, we often times use the word dysfunctional to describe families. Marriages can be dysfunctional. Adult relationships with parents can become dysfunctional. The word dysfunctional covers a wide range of family problems.


FAMILIES....They can be a blessing or they can be dysfunctional. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon gives wisdom that covers parenting, marriage, adult relationships with their parents, and even grandparent's relationships with their families. There is so much more to FAMILY than a married couple with children. So for you single folks...this also applies to you!

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAIT OF A HEALTHY FAMILY?

First of all, a healthy family starts with the right attitude. Secondly, a healthy family needs good communication. I love what Solomon tells us in chapter 21 of Proverbs..."family life shouldn't be so bad that we'd rather live on the corner of the roof" or in verse 19, he says, "our communication should not be as irritating as a dripping faucet."

Solomon gives us great advice when it comes to family matters in the book of Proverbs. The Bible is filled with advice about using words wisely, so many quarrels within our families could be avoided with a few simple pieces of scriptural advice:


PROV. 15:1 "Don't respond to anger with anger."

PROV. 19:11 " Don't make an issue out of everything that bothers you or hurts your feelings."

PROV. 17:27 "Think before speaking."

In last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question, "What prevents you from being the best family member you can be?" The top 3 results were:

50% of those polled, said that they have better theories than actual practices in their families.
37% voted and said that they have difficult family members.
25% indicated they have trouble being a good family member because of something else.


THIS POLLS INDICATES TO ME THAT FAMILY ISSUES IS A BIGGIE FOR MOST OF US!

Do you remember the ballad by Harry Chapin from many years ago, "The Cat's in the Cradle?" This song painfully depicted the consequences of a father who did not prioritize his family. It is about a father who travels a great deal and misses out on seeing his boy grow up. The boy in the song is always asking, "When ya coming home, dad?" The father always makes the excuse, "I don't know when, son. But we'll have a good time then." However the good time never happens because the Dad is too busy.

Further in the song, the father finally retires from working and he then wants to spend time with his grown son. The dad asks, "When ya coming home , son?" HERE IS THE HAUNTING PART... the son replies, "I don't know when. But we'll have a good time, Dad." The father contemplates with sadness, "My son is just like me."

ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO BE A BETTER FAMILY MEMBER?

The first step to having a BETTER family life is to realize how important family is! You cannot deny your nature. God made you a family-oriented creature. Nothing can fill the hole if you fail to value family. The years cannot be turned back when you realize too late how important it is. (if you haven't read my personal story of what I lost in my family....READ HERE!)

Once you place the proper value on family life, the key is to unlearn some bad habits and attitudes. If you are currently in a dysfunctional family...there are probably multiple people involved in making it this way. However, the good news is that even one person can make a big difference by changing. Many times, if we would just humble ourselves, difficult family members will find it easier to change for the better.

Family is a deep-felt need of our soul. What can you change to make your family better?



YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL:
Be sure to vote in this weeks poll (located on the side bar of this blog) - this week the question is... "The last time I got really frustrated was when...." Thanks for your vote!