Today @ The Gathering we continued our series “7 Ways Weird Families Work,” with the fourth installment entitled, “Weird Families Work When Promises Are Kept.”
God put us into families on the basis of covenants, not contracts, or civil ordinances. Covenants are written in our hearts with love and formed by two or more people making promises to each other. When promises are broken, families disintegrate and relationships shrink, becoming small, shrill, and bitter. All of us know how important promises are. But the question is, what are the promises that members of families make to each other?
Today we talked about 3 generational promises which are found in 1 John 2:12-14.
1. The promise of the mature is wisdom.
2. The promise youth is strength.
3. The promise of children is potential.
We then turned to the four promises that families make to each other. They are:
1. The promise of a home-base.
2. The promise of a helping hand.
3. The promise of a healing word.
4. The promise of a hope-filled faith.
Next time you look at a logo on the side of a building or car, think of the promise behind it. For Honda, for example, it’s a great, reliable car. For Harley, identifying with a certain group who like to live free, and live to ride.
If your family name were a logo, and we were to see it on the side of your car every day, what is the promise that we would identify with your family? This week, talk about it. And ask yourself what are the promises that we’re making and keeping to each other and to the outside world?