What I Love Most About My Family

Our family…

We aren’t any different than any other typical family. We laugh. We cry. We play. We hurt. Yet, through it all, we are family and we hold on to each other through the mess-ups, milestones, melt-downs and beautiful moments. Why? Because more than anything else, we love.

My thoughts are met with warm smiles & emotions as I reflectively think of my family.  I feel immense joy knowing, “We can be a little quirky but we’re still family and that’s all that really matters. Though there are numerous reasons why I adamantly love my family, what I love most is how we love.

We love with prayer.

We have those moments in our home when we have to pull back, come together, and do the one thing that we know to do as a family – pray. We believe and teach our children that prayer or having conversations with God is essential to getting through this life. Although we aim to practice prayer together regularly, we do miss the mark at times but we understand that it’s okay. What’s more important is that our hearts are open and fully yielded to His will and His work in our lives. Prayer is like an open door policy to meet with God at any time. As parents, our desire is to instill in our children the power of prayer in every season of life.

We love with laughter.

We can be so silly that it’s like a second language for us. I suppose it’s because we always seem to find something humorous in the simplicity of being ourselves. We embrace opportunities to laugh loud and liberally. Whether it’s watching a movie, playing at the tennis court, taking a walk, or having open conversation; we make it fun family time. Life can be busy and stressful, so we love those moments when someone says something so unexpected but hilariously funny! It’s usually one or both of the girls. There are many inspirational quotes about laughter and even Scripture says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine…”(Proverbs 17:22).  We are very thankful that laughter is very much a part of our home-life and we enjoy each occasion.

 We love with grace.

There is no need to feel the need to be perfect around here. With every lesson, we learn that God’s grace is sufficient. We place great emphasis on how God knows that we aren’t perfect but He desires us to be the best version of who He created us to be. We’re learning how to love graciously because God sent Jesus to be our graciousness. As with every household, everyone is vulnerable to falling short of God’s grace and our family is no different. We are learning how to choose to look to the Lord and ask, “What is the lesson?”. What can we learn from this and how can we move forward and continue to live out our best for the Lord? Here in this home, we are each other’s cheering squad. We love and support in the good times and even more in the tough times. In all things, we are reminded of God’s love and grace towards us and how we must extend the same to each other.

We love always.

Our girls are in training. As parents, we know that the road ahead can at times be difficult and that’s why we try to pour into them the foundation of Christ. If somehow, we can teach them to always keep their eyes on Him, then we feel that we’re moving in the right direction. The reality is that they will have to learn through their own experiences. Through every intersection of life, we want them to know that we love them unconditionally.

With each passing day, we must look beyond daily living and know that our love for each other and others has more significant meaning than we realize. As a family, we try to stay focused regardless of the distractions or attractions. We try to nurture a love that’s not just for now but for eternity. Each day isn’t the same for us. There are great days, low days and even crazy days but our love is always. It’s how we do love – with prayer, laughter, grace and forever.