what is your family about?

Oh it has been a day of reflection around here.  I love days like that, where God just speaks and speaks and I listen.  And then I just speak and speak and He listens.

Was dusting this morning (I know that isn't a very productive or fun use of time, but it needed done!) and I picked up a frame off our mantle.  As I held it, this an item I dust every week (or maybe not) that sits in our family room all the time, I took the time to reread it.  Something that Gabe and I wrote years ago when I was part of a mom's bible study about being intentional in raising faithful kids...

Our Family Mission Statement:
Our mission as a family is to bring glory to the Lord with our hearts, our souls, our bodies, and our minds each day.  We will seek to be more like Christ by studying His word.  We will strive to use each moment of our day to worship Him.  We will share the love of Jesus with others.  We promise to treat each member of this family as a gift that the Lord has entrusted to us.  We pray that the Lord will give us the humble heart of a servant, that we may grow to understand His purpose and will for our lives.


Our Family Verses:
I prayed for this child, and the Lord has given him to me.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.  I Samuel 1:27-28
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.  Philippians 3:10a
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  Joshua 24:15


Wow, who would have thought that if you are actually intentional with what you want from God, say it out loud, try to live it every day, He will not hold back, but will give it all as He sees fit.  We didn't know 8 years ago when we wrote this how much depth and truth would be in these words and in our lives.

So what is your family about?  What is your mission?  Can you point to God things that He has done through you that show you are living out that mission?  If you haven't written it out, I highly encourage it.

We are going to redo ours.  Use the same exact words on new paper in a bigger frame, and have each person in our family sign it (when they can :) and we are going to start talking about it more.  Because in our house, our faith is intentional, but we can always do more.  We can take more opportunities to teach each other about love, compassion, and forgiveness.

We often get asked why we do the things we do, and days like this when I can hear God listing all the things He has done in us and through us to bring Him glory, that is why.  To look back at where our family has come and to hear His favor.  To hear His reminder to work on this a little more, tweak that, give more.

SO what will it be for you?  He will never ask you to give what you don't have...but He can never use anything you are not willing to give.  So give it all to Him and watch as He shows you what to do with it.

Can't wait to reread those words in 10 more years and see how far God has taken us.