You’ve heard the joke about family gatherings, haven’t you?

 

If you weren’t related to these people, you’d never see them.

 

What a horrible punchline, really.

 

1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

 

God’s world has purpose in everything. Everything.

 

He gave you a specific family for specific reasons. It’s super easy to be nice to people we aren’t around very much. Short-term “love” is pretty common. It’s when we get in close quarters with long-term relationships that our character really comes out.

 

Sure, some family members are not nice people. There are still ways to manage that, taking our cues from Scripture.

 

Love, especially family style, is for the long haul. That beautifully worded verse from 1 Corinthians says it all. We bear one another’s burdens, and we hope for the best.

 

And we endure any obstacle that blocks us from truly loving the family God gifted us with.

 

No joke.

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord, remind us daily of the unique gift our families are for us. Help us look for ways to enhance these special communities you’ve placed us in. Amen.