Let’s continue with “Expectations for Creating A+ Family.” We covered what not to expect, now we cover four things to expect.
Expect to…
Examine biblical resources for marriage and family life.
God speaks through the world’s scriptures, giving unending nourishment. Our shared scriptures share ideals of marriage and family that transcend culture and religious tradition. Among these scriptures, the Bible presents marriage as a messianic mission, as a part of God’s plan for creation and salvation, and that’s what this edition of True Family Values explores.
“The ideals of marriage and family transcend culture and religious tradition.“
Encounter a new paradigm.
What you see is shaped by what you’re looking for. A photo of five people looks different when you are told that they are a family. The Bible looks different when we are told it is about marriage and family. With this new paradigm, we notice that Adam was Eve’s husband, Isaac was Abraham’s son, that Tamar and Bathsheba are Jesus’ foremothers, that Jesus was a bridegroom.
Work with the dimensions of love within the family.
There are different kinds of love in the family—between spouses, between parents and children, and so forth. God is love, so each kind of love reveals an aspect of God, a dimension of God’s heart. The dimensions of God’s heart reveal the spherical life that God designed for us—and for Himself—to experience in the family. Like the four points on a compass, these empower us to chart our course and cherish our commitments.
“Can we find a model of a family of health, a family without sin?“
Introduce a model of health and hope for your family and community.
We can’t cure a disease until we know what health looks like. The disease is sin. Can we find a model of a family of health, a family free from sin? Jesus Christ is the model of health, of freedom from sin for the individual. So our hope is in him to provide a model of health, of freedom from sin for marriage and family. After all, Jesus told us, “I have much more to say to you.”
The Hebrew Bible ends with a vision of parents and children turning their hearts toward each other, and the Christian Bible ends with a vision of divine marriage. This raises our expectations, and God will satisfy them.
(References: John 16:12; Malachi 4:26; Revelation 19:9.)
– TH
