I love my family. Admittedly, I have a pretty amazing family – I’m a blessed man, far beyond anything that I deserve. I have a caring, understanding, and supportive wife. My children are walking in the path that we desire for them, and we share healthy and fun relationships.

    

Additionally, I come from a pretty amazing family. My parents are committed to each other, have always sacrificially supported me, and have worked hard to ensure that we had everything we needed and more.

 

So, it’s pretty easy for me to say that I love my family. But practically speaking, it’s easier to say than to live out, even in the best of circumstances. Sometime I feel we’re more like the Addams Family than the Adams Family. Believe it or not, my amazing family has its own quirks, idiosyncrasies, dysfunctions, and sinful tendencies. Especially me. I regularly have to check myself so that I don’t act out of impatience or frustration when I’m stressed, frustrated, or don’t get my way. Just as often, I have to apologize for not checking myself in time and hurting my family out of my own selfishness, rather than acting out of my love for them.

 

It’s in the context of my family life where I wrongfully let familiarity excuse hurtful and sinful behavior. And these are the people who love me the best. These are the people to whom I should show the deepest love. Even on the tough days, they’re still family. I still want to love them. I’m not going to give up on them, and I’m counting on them to not give up on me.

 

I’ve found that it’s not very different within our church family. Sometimes we let familiarity excuse bad behavior. Common courtesies that we would graciously give to strangers are sometimes withheld from those who are closest to us. Because of our closeness, wounds from our faith family can be deep, and we tend to hold on to them. In our woundedness we’re tempted to lash out, withhold forgiveness, or simply drift apart, regardless of the bond in Christ that obligates us to one another.

 

I find it comforting to know that Christ refers to believers as His family. There’s something about family that you can’t find in other relationships. There’s a level of commitment, and an understanding that we’re in this together. Family has an expectation of being together and supporting each other for the long haul, no matter what. Family must endure.