It was supposed to be just another Thursday night. Marcus and Nina were exhausted from juggling work, parenting, and the quiet distance that had crept into their marriage. Sandra rushed in ten minutes late with her two kids in tow, doing her best as a single mom. And Luis, a twenty-something carrying the scars of a broken home, sat quietly, unsure if he really belonged.
The group opened their Bibles to Ephesians 5 and 6. At first, it felt like just another study. But as they read, something clicked. They began to see family differently—not as a place where everything had to look perfect, but as the first classroom of discipleship.
Marcus offered to mentor Sandra’s boys. Sandra invited Luis over for dinner. Luis offered to babysit so Marcus and Nina could serve together again. It wasn’t tidy, but it was holy. That night, they weren’t just talking about family—they were becoming one.
God’s Design for Family
From the very beginning, God designed family to reflect His heart. Genesis tells us:
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…’” (Genesis 1:27–28, ESV)
Family was never meant to be just biology—it was meant to be theology. Marriage is a living picture of Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:25–26). Parenting is more than raising well-behaved kids; it’s shaping disciples (Ephesians 6:4). Even singleness carries deep purpose in God’s kingdom (1 Corinthians 7:35). And for those without close relatives, God promises: “God sets the lonely in families” (Psalm 68:6, ESV).
No matter what your story looks like—married, single, parenting, grieving, or mentoring—God has a place for you in His family.
The Challenge We Often Miss
It’s easy to think mission is “out there”—in church, at work, or across the world—and miss the mission “right here.” The truth is, your greatest discipleship may not happen on a stage or platform, but around your dinner table.
“These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7, ESV)
Discipleship doesn’t need a program. It happens in the everyday moments—bedtime prayers, conversations in the car, laughter after a long day, forgiveness when tempers flare. The question is: are we shaping schedules, or are we shaping souls?
Encouragement for Every Season
Here’s the good news: you don’t have to get it all right to make a difference. What your family—biological or spiritual—needs most is your presence, not your perfection.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19, ESV)
Legacy is built one choice at a time—through prayer, confession, encouragement, and showing up consistently. Even if your story feels broken, God is able to redeem it. Psalm 78 reminds us:
“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” (Psalm 78:4, ESV)
Your family may not look like you imagined, but God is writing a bigger story through it than you can see right now.
You Were Made for This
Family is not about perfection—it’s about reflection. Every time you forgive, pray, encourage, or simply show up, you reflect Christ in the ordinary and the messy. And that’s exactly where discipleship takes root.
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…” (Ephesians 1:17–18, ESV)
That’s why I wrote Made For This—to help you see how the gospel reframes the everyday areas of life: Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finance. If you’re ready to discover God’s design for family and build a legacy that lasts, I’d encourage you to pick up a copy today.
Your family—whatever shape it takes—is part of God’s story. And He’s still writing.
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