Family (Brewer)

by Chadwick Brewer

“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15).

I believe that there is an innate desire and need for family, to have a place where you belong, are cared for, and loved. We see this from the moment of birth, in the fact that we need physical touch and affection to survive and thrive. We see this when we choose to name our closest friends as ‘family.’ We even see desire when companies advertise for positions available when they say, “Join our family.”

Broken families and absent parents are some of the biggest factors in children growing up to have issues with alcohol abuse, drug abuse, violent crime, mental and emotional health issues, behavioral and developmental challenges, and economic struggles. How ironic it is that the world sees so clearly the need and desire for family, yet is on a relentless crusade to break apart the family and redefine it. What an absolute travesty to watch the world tear apart the very thing they look for so desperately.

Yet, regardless of what home and family life we grew up in, we are all invited into the household of God, to be sons and daughters of the Most High and brothers and sisters of each other. The church is not to be a social or recreational group, but one that truly behaves as the household of God and loves each other as themselves. What an unparalleled blessing! May we never take it for granted.