By Van Yandell
Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
God told mankind to have dominion over the fish, the birds and other animals (Genesis 1: 26). This is well and good because God said it.
Margie and I sometimes feel like the Bearcat has dominion over us, but that’s okay because we love him and let him get by with it. It’s perfectly acceptable with us to let him have his way and to think he’s the boss, because at times, he is.
If the Bearcat doesn’t show up at his regular time, which he rarely does, we go out looking for him. We usually find him sleeping under an azalea or loropetalum bush. If he cannot be found, we imagine the worst and panic until he decides to show up. Bear is an old cat and needs a little pampering. We cater to his wishes and do everything in our power to make him a happy cat.
Bear is not like family; he is family. If something happened to him we would grieve and miss him very much. He brings us a pleasure only another animal lover would understand.
I firmly believe, and this will never change; the way a person treats animals reveals their character. To be cruel to an animal is unforgivable and in my mind is as despicable as a person can be. If anyone ever hurt the Bearcat, they would have Margie to contend with and it would not be pleasant.
Lists of the important things in our lives are long and varied but right at the top of most of our lists is family. With the changing of the seasons, we are reminded of how good our Creator has been to us and blessing us immeasurably.
To set aside a single day each year to be thankful seems a little foolish. We should be thankful every day. Granted, many have worked long and hard for the material things amassed, but are the really important things made of wood, steel and plastic? When many are asked what are they thankful for, the responses vary but often times do involve material possessions. However, near the top of the list, should be “family.”
A Michael J. Fox quote says it all, “Family is not an important thing: it’s everything.” Many do not realize how precious that bond is until it’s lost. From observations, it appears the happiest people in the world may or may not have material possessions but have strong and lasting family ties.
The Bible places extreme importance on family. The family of Jesus became an extension of Him and Mary, his mother, became a symbol of motherhood and is regarded by some as sacred.His brother, James, became a writer of the Book of James in the New Testament and gave us great insight and extrapolations into the teachings of Jesus.
His earthly father, Joseph, took on the responsibility of raising Jesus as a boy and taught Jesus the trade of carpenter. What a great example of fatherhood Joseph sets for young fathers, even today.
The disciples were a family to Jesus. He was to them a mentor, a father figure and a great teacher. He set such a great example for them and His training resulted in the development of the apostles, who were also great teachers.
The very first account of human relationships was the story of Adam and Eve and their family. Perhaps in the beginning was the place God chose to show us, that at times, things do not go smoothly. There are bumpy roads in the stories of most all families, but those with strong ties and living under the influence of God’s teachings, manage to survive.
Another family story in Genesis is that of the families of Abram (Abraham), Isaac and Jacob. God brought Abram up to Canaan and made him the father of a great nation. Abraham’s son, Isaac, became the father of the Jewish nation and consequently the forerunner of Christianity. God chose the nation of Israel to provide the world with a Savior and so Christians are eternally connected to Judaism.
Abraham’s other son, Ishmael, through the servant girl Hagar, became the father of another people group as God promised. Even though these two great families began over 4,000 years ago and are still at odds, it conclusively points out to us that God has never promised everything in our lives (and families) would be perfect.
Isaac’s two sons, Esau and Jacob, once parted at odds, but the strong family ties eventually brought them back together as brothers. Jacob took by deception, Esau’s birthright and blessing. Yet Jacob was forgiven and the family connection was re-established.
Colossians 3: 13 “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Perhaps the Apostle Paul was thinking of Esau and Jacob when he wrote this verse. Trying to understand why other’s actions are as they are is perhaps the first step in forgiveness.
There are numerous stories in the Old and New Testaments of families depicting both strengths and weaknesses. Family bonds are what we make them. God no doubt values those family characteristics that unite families into strong units.
Genesis 20: 12 “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” We notice in Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments, the first four concern man’s relationship to God and the last six, the connection of man to man.
Of those last six, the first is to honor thy father and mother. Is God telling us that to honor one’s father and mother is of primary importance? If so, He may be conveying His thoughts on the importance of family.
Desmond Tutu said, “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” Great men have long revered the family structure as precious and sacred. Pope John XXIII (1881-1963) said, “The family is the first essential cell of human society.”
2 Timothy 3: 2 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” What a sad state to be in to be unthankful, unholy and disobedient to parents. Once again we see one of the many verifications of God’s attitude toward family and parenthood.
To have feelings of thankfulness is a gift of God. We can have no doubt, God places the family at the top of the priority list of mankind. And, of course, our own families are the first on our list to lead to the Lord Jesus; teaching He was crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected. A close family is to be cherished and protected. Take God’s word for it.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary, from Fredonia, Kentucky. These articles are a part of the Bible Connections series.
