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There are probably a lot of words we would use to describe family: complicated, dysfunctional, intense, annoying, and more. But have you ever thought of the word “organism” to describe a family? Because the truth is, that’s what it is. Families are these complicated living, breathing units that are the sum of all the individual parts. Sure, there are individual members who all have their own qualities, but when you put them all together, they make something else, something different, something unique that only exists in the magic of these particular people together. This verse from Paul to the Colossian church alludes to this very idea.

He points out relationships between how a father behaves and the results of that in their children. If a father embitters his children, the children become discouraged. It sounds simple enough, but the implications are huge. Paul reminds us that we are connected. What one of us does impacts the others. We don’t live in a vacuum; we live as a unit. In that, there’s cause and effect, reactions and responses. Everything we say or do is connected to the other people we call family. Maybe that sounds a bit like a reach but think about it. When one person is in a bad mood in your family, isn’t the whole family thrown off? What about if one person gets good news? The whole family reacts positively! The point is, when it comes to family, we are all connected.

With that in mind, before doing or saying something in the context of your family that you would normally not give any thought to, consider how it affects the whole. What might you say or do to be the cause of someone else’s effect? Think about the good of the family, not just the good of yourself this week.