A family according to God’s heart is one that follows the will of the Lord and obeys his word. He allows himself to be guided by the Holy Spirit and maintains communion with him. They spend time with their family and are consolidated in love, togetherness and understanding. In this way, the family represents the most relevant institution and exists from the beginning as an idea of God, before even written language and communities existed.
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What is a family according to the heart of God according to the Bible
Within the home is where the character of the person is formed, where the values that will remain in us during our lives are instilled. So it is in the home that the child learns what love is, where he knows what is right and wrong in the eyes of God.
However, the opposite happens if anti-values are taught within the home and the word of God is not obeyed. And these deficiencies will unfortunately always accompany the person and can be a great obstacle to his personal and spiritual growth.
But let’s remember that when we talk about God, we talk about mercy, compassion, love and forgiveness. So if a person has been formed in a home with bad habits, and knows Christ, he can be purified with the power of the Holy Spirit, who is able to cleanse us and give us the opportunity to know his path of light. In this regard, the word leaves us the following promise of God:
“My son, do not let wisdom and prudence depart from your eyes. Keep the law and the advice, because they will be life for your soul and grace for your neck. Then you will walk on your way confidently and your foot will not stumble” (Proverbs 3:21-26)
In this quote, God exhorts us that we must obey his word so as not to stumble or stray from the right path. Likewise, we must instill in him the value of reading the word, prayer, and communion with the Lord. In this way we will be creating strong ties in our family, which will be very difficult to break.
So we must gather as a family, pray, read the Holy Scriptures, starting with the gospels, making known the life, work, death and resurrection of Christ. We must understand the power of being a family according to the heart of Christ.
You must also give your marriage and children to Jesus Christ, to have the serenity of his support, creating a protection fence that allows us to sanctify the Lord with our testimony as a family.
4 Aspects to form a family with the heart of God
The family is the center of society and has been formed by God with a specific purpose, based on the consolidation of the values and principles established in his word. To form a family with the heart of God it is essential that you consider the following aspects:
1.- The Objectives within the family
Firstly, the general purposes of the family must be defined and then begin to set immediate objectives, where each of the members makes their proposals to achieve them.
It is important that from the beginning everyone is involved in decision-making, both parents and children, in such a way that no one feels excluded, even when they are small, they have the right to express their opinion and contribute their grain of sand in favor of strengthen the family nucleus.
In the same way, it is recommended to write on a piece of paper the objectives that are set as they adopt a family and place them in a visible place. This turns out to be of great help to corroborate how much progress has been made in achieving the proposed goals.
On the other hand, apart from defining the general ideals of the family, parents should help each child to set personal goals, according to their age and maturity. In this way, it is necessary to teach the little ones to help with the housework, such as setting the table, filling the jars, tidying up their toys, washing the dishes, among others.
If they are a little older, they could help parents with other household chores and set specific goals for themselves that also involve the family, such as learning a language, an instrument, reading a certain book, finishing a course , learn to ride a bicycle, among others.
Let’s never underestimate the desires of our children, since they have their own life, their illusions, their goals. As parents we must guide them and help them to fulfill each of their objectives, always respecting the will of God.
The general and individual objectives of a family must be oriented in Christian principles, since without God we can achieve nothing but with him we are more than winners. As the word states:
“As it is written: Because of you we are dead all the time; We are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. Before, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Therefore I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. (Romans 8:36-38)
However, the education of children, especially in the pre-adolescent stage, is not an easy task, since we must learn to balance the rules and regulations within the home. We must not be so permissive but neither be authoritarian. There must be a balance, where understanding, respect, discipline and of course love always prevail.
When parents establish the objectives that they intend to achieve together with their adolescent children, it is necessary that they are consolidated in the principles established by God in his word, maintaining the relationship with God, personal and spiritual growth, progress at work and at school, among others.
2.- Family reunions
At family reunions, displays of affection between the members of the family nucleus can be better manifested, where everyone can express their opinions, feel confident and create bonds that help strengthen them more as a consolidated family in Christ.
These meetings must be given from time to time, depending on the willingness of each of the members. Each family is different and has diverse needs, so it is not possible to establish how often they should be given.
But it is important to highlight that these approaches are of the utmost importance, because it is necessary for everyone to be able to express themselves freely and to expose any problem, doubt, or complaint that they may have and that is unknown. It also gives children the confidence to talk to their parents.
Many times children do not talk to their parents for fear of being judged, misunderstood or being punished for some offense committed. Parents must discipline with the love of Christ, always applying empathy and understanding the stage that the child is going through, since at that age they are vulnerable and are developing their personality.
On the other hand, family gatherings should not be boring, serious, formal. They can be made fun by sharing some special food, watching a thoughtful movie, listening to pleasant music, playing educational games, among other activities.
The fact of being Christians does not limit us to enjoying family time while we share and express our feelings, expose our projects and let off steam if we have any problems, whether at work, school, or in the community.
It is also important to meet in private with each of the children, that is, mother-son, father-son; In this way, parents learn to know their children better and dedicate all their attention to them.
It is important that children are taken into account, their opinions, desires, concerns individually, since each child is different and has different needs, even if they are siblings.
As parents we must also praise our children for the goals achieved, for their progress, for their successes; and encourage them in their failures. It is not necessary to recriminate them and make them feel bad for their mistakes, just talking to them with love and praying for them is enough.
Throw salt in the wound, it will not improve the situation. But if you talk calmly, you can solve all the problems and differences that may exist. This sounds easy but it really is constant work, where the presence of God in our life cannot be missing.
Being diligent as parents implies being diligent with God, praying without ceasing, watching, fasting, reading the word, seeking the face of God at all times. Ask him for advice, help, wisdom so that the family can prosper and give an excellent testimony of the wonders that God does with his children.
3.- Analyze your own reactions
As parents we can fail when we react impulsively to a certain situation. This happens because we are human and at some point our carnal part comes out.
Therefore, we must analyze the way in which we are responding to the various situations in our lives, since bad responses can hurt our loved ones and generate a negative chain reaction. In this regard, the word exhorts us: “The soft answer calms the anger; But a harsh word makes fury rise.” (Proverbs 15:1)
In this sense, when we use hurtful words, we are going to generate a hostile environment that clouds the serenity and peace that Christ gives us. That is why we must be peaceful and ask God to control us at all times.
4.- Family prayer
Prayer is a powerful tool that we have to solidify the family nucleus, and it is very important that it be done collectively, where all the members of the household present their requests and pray together.
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Therefore, parents should create this habit of praying as a family. Always find a time to pray together. To do this they must agree and set a time to pray.
In this way, powers and hosts of evil that intend to destroy and harm the family will be brought down, since Satan has the purpose of separating the family and diverting them from the correct path. If there are small children, parents should be creative and find simple and pleasant songs that instruct about Jesus Christ to sing as a family.
In the same way, it is important to read psalms that are easy to understand so that they can better grasp the message of salvation. Parents for their part should explain the message but also take everyone’s opinions into account.
Many times older children refuse to join in family prayer. But as parents we cannot be discouraged, but we must motivate them to participate, explaining to them the importance of prayer for the family.
Another thing that can be done in these cases is involving them in reading a verse, singing a song or expressing an opinion. This will make them feel included and valued.
In this sense, a family according to God’s heart must be based on the principle of love above all things, since God is love and without it, we cannot achieve anything. The word tells us the following:
“Beloved, let us love one another; because love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who does not love, he has not known God; because God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, that God sent his only Son into the world, that we might live for…