Discover Family

A husband and wife moved to a city that was; how should we say this? Less than quaint. It was probably the equivalent of Las Vegas. Not the ideal place to start and raise a family, but they did. They had two daughters.

One day, they had some visitors who told them they needed to pack up and leave their home and city behind. It was a shock for them but staying would be catastrophic. So, reluctantly, they left.

During the move, the wife died.

The girls and their father continued. Concerned there were no sons to carry on the family name, the daughters decided to get their father drunk and sleep with him. It worked– both girls became pregnant.

You may recognize the story above because it’s the story of Lot. He lived in Sodom and Gomorrah and had to leave because of the sheer corruption of the city and its inhabitants. Which, despite their relocation, left a mark on this family.

Why am I telling you about this messed up family? Because let’s be honest, families can be very messy. Things happen inside a family that can be downright wrong. I’m sure if I asked you about your family there would be some story you could share about something that was wrong. Something that wasn’t supposed to happen: a divorce, an affair, abuse, misuse of the finances, rape, alcoholism, theft, you name it.

A few weeks ago, I heard about a daughter who missed her mother’s funeral because she was stealing her mother’s safe.

So, what became of Lot’s family? Both daughters gave birth to sons. One was named Ben-Ammi, who became the father of the Ammonites. A remnant and reminder of this choice remain. The capital city of Jordan is Amman. This was the territory that the Ammonites settled.

The other son was Moab. He was the father of the Moabites. Sound familiar? Ruth was a Moabite. Boaz married Ruth and they had Obed, Obed had Jesse and Jesse was the father of David. Ruth was in the lineage of Christ.

Although families can be messy, they are not too messy for God. Somehow, He weaves together the bad mistakes, wrong turns, the ups and downs for good. But, we don’t always see the results until eternity.

All that God does, and all that He orchestrates, sometimes take years, centuries, even millenniums. Look at Lot’s family. This twisted decision concerning how to carry on the legacy wasn’t redeemed until centuries later.

I believe the reason the family is so under attack is that when families function as God intended them to function, there is unity. Unity honors God.

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. – John 17:22-23

I think the dysfunction we so frequently see in families proves to be another reminder of heaven. One day, we will all be one united family, and all will be right. We will finally understand the family unit in the way it was always intended to be. Until then, we pray that you will help fight for families right here in Broward County.

#beautifulmasterpiece #familylegacy #Godsprovision #redemptivelove