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What Our Homes Reflect

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."  Ephes. 5:21

It has been so neat to introduce my children to the TV shows that my husband and I grew up watching and for them to actually enjoy watching them, too!  One of our favorites to watch as a family is "The Brady Bunch." 

I can't help but chuckle at the Hollywood portrayal of how well this blended family functioned as a loving, forgiving, and practically perfect new family unit.  It's astounding how the boys and girls automatically viewed each other as brothers and sisters, even to the point of going to blows in the school yard in order to defend a new sister's honor.

It's no less amazing how instantaneously the girls took to their step-father and the boys to their new step-mother.  They even call them 'Mom' and 'Dad' right from the get-go of the show.  Perhaps you remember the episode when Mike and Carol make it clear to the children that there are no "steps" in the Brady family, except for the steps in the center of their very dated, ultra-retro home.

Wouldn't it be great if reality was that easy?  Even in non-blended families, just being a happily functioning family unit is difficult.  It's hard work to overlook every one's peculiarities and to love in spite of our differences..

Hollywood likes to glamorize it, but we don't have to look to Hollywood to find our source for what a beautiful family looks like.  We have been given a very clear picture of what God intends for each of our families right in His Word.

Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus teaches mutual submission within the family unit.  Many people like to place emphasis on a one-sided view of submission, but Paul points out that everyone in a family is called to demonstrate their allegiance to Christ by the way they interact with the people in their home.

Ephesians 5:21-6:4 include the following instructions to wives, husbands, children, and parents:
  • He admonishes wives to accept loving guidance and leadership from their husbands.  We're to be supportive and understanding because our love for them is a reflection of our love for the Lord.
  • Husbands are advised to reciprocate this love and submission.  His devotion to his wife is to be so strong that he would lay his life down for hers, just as Christ gave up His life for the church.  He is to bring the best out in his wife, just as Christ does for the believer.
  • Children are told to show submission to their parents and are reminded that God promised a lengthened life for those who follow that command.  The relationship of a child to a parent is very symbolic of the relationship of the believer to their Heavenly Father.
  • He reminds parents that their children are a gift, but that they come with great responsibility.  It's a parent's job to let their love for the Lord be so evident that they are able to share that love with their children by guiding them to a relationship with Christ.
Do you see what each area of submission has in common? 

They all reflect our love for the Lord.  Our homes truly are a mirror reflection of our personal relationship to Christ.  When we are transformed by the radical love that Christ shows to us, it will be evident in our homes.

When someone allows Christ to reign in every area of their life, their family members are the ones who can tell if it's real of not.  People might be able to fake a transformation for many people, but usually a person's true colors are always displayed vibrantly within the home.

God doesn't desire for our homes to look like the Brady's, the Cleaver's, or the Hucstible's.  He desires BETTER!  Whenever our homes are built on our love for the Lord, we'll face every obstacle differently, every triumph differently, and every individual moment differently.

I don't know what your home looks like, nor do you know what mine looks like -- thank goodness!  I have a feeling we all have certain areas of our home life that don't show a very good reflection of our love for the Lord. 

Commit right now to make a concerted effort to let your love for God overflow into every nook and cranny of your home.  Ask God to reveal to you where your love and submission to your spouse or children are in need of a Holy makeover.   Let God do a miracle in your home and let Him begin it in you.

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