Family, Faith & Forgiveness A GOODBYE, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN PlanНамуна

Day 3 - Family is Always With Us

Our family shapes who we are - for good or ill, often both. That streak of generosity we learn from our mother lives right alongside that explosive temper we pick up from our father. Our siblings can be our best friends, or our worst enemies, depending on the circumstances and pressures of the moment.

But the family we are born into isn't the only family we ever get. We grow up, move away from home, settling into friendship groups that function as extended families. We choose a spouse, have children, building a new family of our own - still tethered to the one we were born into, but not dictated by it. And, of course, in the moment we surrender our lives to Christ, we enter the most important family to which we'll ever belong: the family of God. He becomes our loving Father, and all others who believe in him our brothers and sisters.

As today's Scripture promises, God grants us the opportunity for a joyous family life no matter the circumstances we were born into. We expand our birth family into a chosen family, and expand it further into a spiritual one when we place our trust in Him. Along that path, with God as the head of our household, any challenge that lingers from our birth family can be overcome. Our mourning can always be turned into dancing. (Psalm 30:11).

In GOODBYE, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, the title character enters his teens with anger and animosity over the way he was treated by his parents as a child - propped up on the global stage as the star of the Winnie the Pooh books, effectively losing his childhood so boys and girls worldwide could better enjoy theirs. It takes many years, and the solace that comes from building new families of his choosing, but in the end he is able to "rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given you."

PRAYER: Lord, thank you that you created family to always be with us. May I always, as your Word instructs, honor my mother and father-even when conflicts arise. Thank you for the families you have allowed me to choose - may I live with love, humility and kindness in my heart as we do life together. And thank you, most importantly, for adopting me into your family, Abba Father. May I always remember I am a child of God.