When You Wonder WhySample

God’s Design for Family

The story of creation shows us God’s command to Adam and Eve—to multiply and fill the earth. God wants the world to be full of people, placed in families, who treat one another with kindness, caring for each other and for the earth as God cares for them. We are made in God’s image, which is one of generous, self-giving love. Just as God’s love overflowed into creation, human love in marriage overflows into new families.

While no family is perfect, some families do reflect the loving support system God intended. Here, parents and siblings love one another unconditionally, quickly forgive wrongs, empower each other to grow and know one another intimately. A loving family fosters a sense of safety, well-being and wholeness.

But other family relationships are strained and broken. Sometimes we hurt others with our own sinful tendencies, but other times family members sin against us in damaging ways. Know this: Hurtful relationships are not what God wants for us. He wants our relationships to be a reflection of his kindness, patience and love.

If you come from a family that has wounded you, you might struggle to trust others or even to trust God to be the kind of parent who desires and seeks the best for you.

The good news is that God describes his church as the family of God. And part of God’s design for our church family is for it to be a place of unconditional love, where the hurts we’ve received from our biological families can be healed. We can learn what it’s like to be fully loved and to fully love others. As we heal, we don’t have to repeat the same behaviors we’ve learned from our families. We can act in new ways, breaking old cycles and forming our own families who better reflect the character of God.