He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. (Prov 11:29)
One of the greatest resources God gives us is family. The family provides acceptance, encouragement, exhortation and counsel. Rejecting one's family - whether through anger or through an exaggerated desire for independence - is foolish becuse you cut yourself off from all they provide.
We know that individuals in a family branch out and become their own individual families in time. Children grow, make choices and take what they have been taught with them when they begin their own families. The one constant thing that remains throughout, or should remain, is the love that is generated. That is not always the case. Some families are estranged, some are tenuous, some are divided. What is evident in each person within that family, with each individual who enters into that family and with each new birth are the fingerprints of God.
Like fingerprints, there are no two alike. We are created so uniquely that the expression "God broke the mold" tells us that we are a masterpiece that cannot be duplicated, copied or cloned (regardless of what science tells us - because even identical twins have the same DNA, yet they are often as different as night and day). Whether we are created by a natural act or through the knowledge of science - we are created by God - who infuses our lives with a soul so brilliant and special that He came to earth as one of us, suffered and died and rose from the dead to guarantee us forgiveness for the asking and an eternal life to follow.
God has certainly left His mark on each and every one of us. We are created in His image and we are received in love. We often are that son or daughter who has strayed and gone off to do his or her own thing, only to realize that the true happiness we are seeking can only be found when He is a part of our lives. The homecoming we receive on earth cannot hold a candle to the homecoming we will receive when we reach our eternal destination!
Make the effort to let those in your family know how important they are to you. God lets us know every day how important we are in His. He blesses us with the morning, gives us rest through the night. He brings the rain to provide nourishment for the beauty that surrounds us. He gives life to new creations and takes others home to their reward.
Take the time to tell your family that you love them. If you're not close or you've been at odds with parents, wtih brothers or sisters - find a way to close that gap. They won't always accept the effort you make, but at least you will have made it. The time we spend on earth with those we call family, is short in comparison to the time we will spend in eternity. There may be a long period of time before we meet them again so let those you love know NOW that they are important. In your family, strive for healing, communications and understanding...after all - you are covered with the fingerprints of God!
