Right Relationship Begins With the Family

Where do babies come from?  At some point, every child asks this embarrassing question and the answer usually has something to do with “the birds and the bees”.  It should not be too shocking of a revelation that babies are not delivered by a stork.  When children ask this question parents often squirm and try to avoid giving a direct answer for as long as possible.  In reality, the answer to this question should not be embarrassing or a topic that is avoided.  This profound question is answered very early on in the book of Genesis.  In fact, the answer comes as the very first directive given by God to male and female humanity . . .

READ: Genesis 1:28

Marital companions are COMMANDED by God to have CHILDREN!  Once a permanent commitment of faithfulness has been established by God between one man and one woman children are to follow quickly behind.  The childhood rhyme has it right, “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage”!  This amazing combination of relationships is a family, the God-established foundation and beginning place of right relationship.  In Deuteronomy 6:4-7 God said, “Here, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these WORDS that I COMMAND you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children.”  A family consisting of a male father, a female mother, and child(ren) is the environment God created for humanity to learn to love God and love His commandments.  What is God’s design for marriage, children, and family?

God designed children to be the FRUIT of marital companionship (Gen. 1:28a) – A “greenhouse” is a building where a perfect environment is maintained for the purpose of growing new plants. The family is the perfect relational “greenhouse” established by God where His image is newly planted in children and grows to maturity.  In Malachi 2:14–15 God condemns the breakdown of the marriage and family saying, “the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  Did He not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.”  A God established marriage and family exist for the purpose of reduplicating His image that He originally created within Adam and Eve.  The desired product of God’s love for humanity and marital companion’s love of one another is godly children.  Family Relationship Tip #1: Be grateful for your PARENTS and allow God to use them to help you GROW into His image.  No matter what family situation we come from, whether godly or not, we exist in this world as a product of a father and a mother in order to bear the image/likeness of God!

God designed family to MULTIPLY His image throughout the whole EARTH from generation to generation (Genesis 1:28b) – Our family tree is a history of relationships from where we descended.  We individually are the result of a long lineage of family relationships in the past.  At the same time, we individually are the seed (beginning place) of a potential long lineage of family relationships into the future.  God wants His image to multiply throughout every branch of our family tree and every family tree that exists (remember, He is the source that started them all). Family Relationship Tip #2:  Commit and prepare now to become a godly SPOUSE and PARENT in the future!  God’s image is currently growing in our life, and we’re next in line to pass the image along.  A spouse and the children we produce have the potential of multiplying God’s image for generations to come.

CONCLUSION
God designed the family to pass the baton of His image from one generation to the next until the whole earth is full of humanity who worship Him.  During our teenage years it is important that we simultaneously reach back for the “baton” of God’s image being passed to us in preparation of passing it on to future generations!  Are you reaching back to receive the baton of God’s image from your parents?  Are you preparing to pass the baton of God’s image forward to your children?