Sunday October 2, 2016 | Greg Boyd
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
We often craft together ideal images of of what a “good Christian” family ought to look like. Images of the idealistic post-war, bourgeois nuclear families are more frequently articulated as the “biblical” family. But, is that accurate? Greg provides for us a snapshot of the various families portrayed throughout the biblical narrative. From Adam and Eve to Solomon and his many wives and concubines, to Abraham and Sarah, we gather a sense that “biblical” families are just as messy and dysfunctional as what we may witness today. The hope of the family unit is Christ! The Christ who works within the mess of it all to make something beautiful.
What is the “biblical” family? Is there such a thing? Often times we assume that a “good Christian family” is a family that never argues, is free of dysfunction, shares fruitful family devotions and prayer time, and merrily gets along every minute of everyday. During the post-war period, the bourgeois, nuclear family became the defining image of a strong, unified nation. And Christians have used the same image to define how a “biblical” family ought to look. But is this truly the case?
If we take a moment to examine the various family units throughout the biblical narrative what we’ll discover is not the idealistic nuclear family who is free of conflict and dysfunction. Rather, what we will see is often what we see and experience today. Families who have conflict… Who are messy, dysfunctional and broken. From Adam and Eve to Abraham and Sarah, yes, even to the family of Jesus, we read of mess and dysfunction. But we also read of a God who works within and through the mess in order to bring forth something beautiful.
We read of a God who, from the very start, has created a beautiful ideal for creation and community. However, through the sin of humanity that beautiful ideal is often missed and relationships are broken. God’s ‘ideal’ does not change. Instead, God works within the mess, meeting individuals, communities, and families exactly where they are in order to draw them closer to Godself and God’s ideal. This is the hope, this is the beauty of grace. God meets us exactly where we are and works with us there.
What, then, ought to be the focus of the family unit? Greg provides for us two practical steps to growing the family closer to God’s ideal image. First, it is so simply, to seek Christ and the Kingdom. “Seek first the Kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6 :34). If we want to see more Christ, more healing, more unity in our family unit, then we seek first the Kingdom. If we want to see change in our family relationships, that change must begin with ourselves. “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” says Gandhi. That statement can just as well be used for a Kingdom minded family unit. “Be the Kingdom change you want to see in your family, your spouse, your children…”
Secondly, take time and be present with your family. The temptation may be to busy the family with opportunities, sports, music, careers, etc. that we fail to carve out intentional time to be present with one another. Don’t chase after these things, for, as Matthew tells us, pagans run after these things. The first priority is the Kingdom. Then, take time and be present with one another. Unplug from technology. Engage in conversation. Have game nights. Whatever it looks like for you, simply take time and be present.