Webster’s dictionary defines family as “a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household”. Webster’s dictionary gives us a good starting point to build from when defining FAMILY; however, it does not tell us what FAMILY means to us in our day-to-day life.
To help answer the question, “What is FAMILY?”, we need to take time to meditate on the people to whom we are connected, the people we love, the people who encourage us, and the people who love us though this crazy thing called life?
I broke down the word FAMILY letter by letter and discovered it ALL pointed back to God’s Love!
F – Foster – FAMILY A – Adoption – FAMILY M – Maternal – FAMILY I – Inheritance – GOD’s FAMILY L – Love – FAMILY Y – YES to ALL the Above – FAMILY!
“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” -Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch hit the nail on the head! NOBODY gets left behind or forgotten in a FAMILY! It does not matter if your FAMILY is a Foster FAMILY, an Adoption FAMILY, your Maternal FAMILY, or God’s FAMILY!!! NOBODY GETS LEFT BEHIND OR FORGOTTEN IN A FAMILY!!
Romans 12:9-13 NIRV:
Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. Love one another deeply. Honor others more than yourselves. Stay excited about your faith as you serve the Lord. When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Welcome others into your homes.
In the Amplified version of Romans 12:9-13 it says that Love is to be sincere and active…let that sink in a moment…Love is to be sincere and active! I feel this is telling us that Love is not just a feeling but an action. What good is it if I say, “I Love you” and I do not do anything to show you that I Love you?
I asked my friends on Facebook to please comment and tell me “What is family to you?” I received some very interesting answers that substantiated my break down of the word FAMILY.
“People who love each other, not necessarily related but willing to put up with each other’s craziness and are willing to show each other love no matter what.” – T. Richardson
“My church – people who I’ve chosen to be part of my life and are the first ones I call when I hit a rough spot in life. They’re also the ones I’ve been there for when they have a success or loss.” – C. Wyatt
“Family is what you make it. I am adopted but found my bio family. I have cousins from both families that love me unconditionally and I them. I have two bio daughters and countless ‘adopted’ kiddos that are the girl’s age. They call me Mom. I love them unconditionally and they know it. Family doesn’t have to be blood. It is the people that you love no matter what. It is the people who would move heaven and earth to see you smile. That is family.” – A. White
“Family is everything!” – S. Matula
“I have a biological family, adopted family, friends that are family, church that is family and simply people are family. It’s unconditional love, it’s the pure love of Jesus that lives inside of us that makes human beings have the ability to be family. He said to love Him and love others. It’s that knowing who you are in Christ. Brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. We spend time with them. Some more than others but our hearts are always connected. Its covenant relationships that He has made away to have. His amazing love.” – A. Long
“Family is people be it blood or life and faith bonds. The best family is the one GOD creates for you. It’s built mostly from love and formed by respect. It can be a hard truth and sometimes challenged by personality and pulled by Satan’s distraction; but all in all has a bound that allows God’s love to overcome the world. Family for me means holding no fault, knows forgiveness God’s way, encourages and strengthens each other. Stand in the gap. Loves unconditionally. Family is a God created unity.” – V. Teat
I encourage you to take time to mediate on “What is FAMILY?” I also encourage you to pray about either Fostering or Adopting a child. Today, there are 8,404 children in DHS custody, 615 children waiting on forever families, and 907 foster families needed in 2018.
YOU could change the life of a child in Oklahoma! Please visit www.okfosters.org for more information!
