I am going to try and start writing a little bit more and sharing it on Facebook when I do and linking you to the post on the website.
Families are an important part of our society, and of creation. Families are a suppose to be a place of support and nurturing, yet we either know or are part of a family that this is not totally the case. Living in a society where to some it seems that the family has gone down on the values list because of wants and desires and even the changing face of society, it can be hard to find the time to nurture togetherness.
Why is this important? Togetherness should be about valuing the family as a whole and looking past yourself to see something greater as a whole. Without this look past yourself, you may only focus on your needs, your wants to the detriment of the whole family. I have know families that this was the case with one or more people in the family. The family suffered emotionally, always trying to meet the endless needs of the one, and sometimes physically because the one used up the majority of the family resources. However, when we merely focus on the others, and forget about the family as a whole, we take individuality to a dangerous place that in the end can breed selfishness and blindness to those around them. You can be selflessly be running yourself crazy trying to please everyone in the family and giving them what each of them want in an effort to make them feel loved and normal. Giving them every opportunity they want but not always the opportunity they need. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be doing some of the wonderful activities available, but do you really of the time and the patience for everything, including and most importantly time together.
When we take that time to be together as a family interacting, sharing, laughing and crying, encouraging and correcting, doing life together modelling love and relationships we have the opportunity to give and receive love that is based in the being of God. Remember, it is not that we need more time in the week, for some of us we need less things to do. When it comes down to it, when we look back at life the most meaningful times people remember are times that are shared with people that are important to them, people that let them know that they were important too and would fight for them no matter what.
As I watch the Olympics, the most meaningful moments are not the wins themselves but the families that won together, not just the person competing. Will you work for your togetherness or will you look back at life and wonder why it seemed so lonely? Will you allow Jesus who came to die for us because our sin, our rebellion had separated us from God, and Jesus was fighting for our togetherness, to be part of the family of God, and to show us how important each relationship is.