Let’s face it – family can be challenging. Even on our worst days, my family is pretty amazing. I am so blessed to have some of my family members also as my best friends. It is not always like that now and it definitely has not always been that way. God has healed my family in many ways over the last several years and given us the desire to be healthy individuals and in turn our relationships with each other have become much healthier. But there are still times of difficulty. And there are some family members I have to spend a little less time with than others to maintain my sanity.
Honestly, when I am having a conflict with a family member, I tend to avoid them and the thought of them altogether. And then there’s the pain of losing a family member. I lost my oldest sister a few years ago, she was killed in a car accident and this type of pain feels unbearable. There are still days I think of her and find it tough to breathe. Brokenness in our families comes in all forms. We all have it and it hurts.
When I was reading Job recently, something that jumped out at me was that he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings on behalf of each of his children in case they had sinned. Later, his whole family died and I can’t imagine that level of suffering or pain, but I think what touched my heart about it was how much Job must have loved his family to have prayed like that for them every day. I want to love my family that much, even the ones I don’t like a whole lot. What better way to worship in our families than to pray for each other?
Read: Job 1
Application Challenge:
Set aside 10 minutes today to pray for each of your family members by name, even the ones you don’t necessarily like – especially the ones you don’t necessarily like. As you pray for them, however God leads you to pray otherwise, give praise to God for them, thank Him for them and ask Him how you can love them better.
Reminder: Listen with no distraction to the music video.