If Jesus Were A Parent

Galatians 4:4-7

Because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

GOD IS OUR FATHER. That is the privilege of everyone who believes (John 1:12). God planned it this way before he even made the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5), and our relationship with him leads to an experience of being unimaginably loved (1 John 3:1). If we acknowledge him as our Father, we can learn a lot about parenting from him. In fact, we can learn quite a bit about the nature of families. As believers, we have been adopted into the divine family and are being loved into a fuller awareness of the extraordinary relationships we have with Christ—in him and through him. We are living in the middle of the divine template.

But in keeping with our theme of being like Jesus, let’s ask how he might govern a home. If Jesus were the parent in our family today—not the spiritual family of God as a whole, but the natural family living in our current household or that we interact with regularly—what environment would he set? What kind of values would this family express? How would he communicate, correct his children, express his love, nurture our faithfulness, and make daily life work? How would he influence his loved ones—and want us to influence each other? What would he rearrange?

These questions we’ve been asking over the last few days about how to create a Jesus-like environment apply to every area of your life, but nowhere are they more important than in your family. When the home is not a reflection of the Kingdom—with its warmth, its fullness, its value for the people nurtured there—the pain of a fallen world is more evident than ever. Sometimes you are not in complete control of that environment; others shape it too. But you do have influence. Your prayers, your faith, and your attitude, even under stress, can become spiritual catalysts for real change. Over time, you may see the Kingdom growing in your home in surprising ways. And when it does, it flows outward into every other area of life too.

{Jesus, I want my home to look a lot like your Kingdom—every relationship, every expression, every moment of every day. Show me how. Whatever it takes, teach me to rearrange life so that my family begins to look like yours. Amen.