My Imperfect Family

The Bible is filled with stories about dysfunctional families. Why is that? Because we are all hopelessly marred by sin and that sin can cause serious messes. But take heart, God is in the change business! You will never have a perfect family - this earth is not heaven - but you can begin to take some steps to allow God to work in your family.

Last Sunday, as we kicked off our series, My Imperfect Family, we took a look at a snapshot from Jospeh’s life (Genesis 37). Joseph’s family experienced major dysfunction. They dealt with jealousy, rage, anger, competition, selfish choices, loss… really the kind of stuff all families deal with to some degree. In his story, we learned that playing favorites with children creates all kinds of problems in families. We also learned that one woman is all one man needs! We learned how important acts of love are in a family and if they are missing, the family really struggles.

If you want to help your family to be healthy and strong, passionately love each member! Show them how much you love them. Communicate that love in a way they clearly understand. Not everybody receives love in the same way. Years ago, Dr. Gary Chapman published a book called The Five Love Languages. Over the years, I have referenced it many times in sermons. Here is your challenge this week: Learn these languages. Discover what language best communicates love to people in your family. Then, speak this language to them!

Words of Affirmation - This language uses words to affirm people.
Acts of Service - For these people, actions speak louder than words.
Receiving Gifts - For some people, what makes them feel most loved is to receive gifts.
Quality Time - This language is about giving the other person your undivided attention.
Physical Touch - To this person, nothing speaks more deeply than appropriate touch.