A Family that Rejoices

Rejoice in the Lord always;again  I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.  Phil 4:4-5 (NASB)

Something I have been challenged with for some time now is the need to grow as a family.  Although we have individual responsibility before God as we work out our salvation, the truth is that we are not really individuals.  We are a unit.  When people look at one member of our family, they make assumptions about the rest of us.

One of my primary prayers for my family as a whole right now is our joy.  That we would collectively overflow with an infectious joy in the Lord.  Not an attitude of always smiling and saying that life is great (regardless of the truth), but living the truth that nothing matters as long as we are growing in Christ. 

Of course, there is a very strong personal challenge here.  My children need to see this in action.  And that comes back to Doug and me as parents.  To me. 

I have been challenged in joyfulness before, but there is something even more frightening about living a challenge out before my children in such a way that they can truly learn it, too.  That’s where my challenge is today.