It was a reflective day at the start of May for me, down the coast of Lake Michigan. I went to pay respect to my childhood stepsister, who had just died of cancer. I had a lot to think about on the trip.
I stopped at the place my mother and father met. It was abandoned, condemned... a mess of rubble. Bulldozers. Caution tape. Shattered glass. A powerful metaphor for our broken family. The continued sinful choices of my dad piled on each other, quaking us apart, leaving a wake of devastation. The bulk of the brokenness, the majority of rubble, didn't come until years and years after the divorce. This place that once held so much love... now an empty shell. And certainly not a safe place to allow children to play and grow. The spiritual symbolism was overwhelming me. I took two pieces of the broken concrete home with me.
Two days later, we saw Focus on the Family's movie, "Irreplaceable." It tackled this issue full-on and took us right to the heart of redemption. It was extremely powerful. I needed it.
We need it, as a society.
As further testimony of how healing it is, it helped motivate me to invite my only brother up to visit. A week later, he was at our door. I had not seen my brother in 8-1/2 years. He had never met our kids. And he came, for dinner. I prayed that if I heard the Holy Spirit, my heart would not be hardened. Just 10 days after seeing Irreplaceable, my older brother met our kids for the first time and shared the day and a meal with us, and our mom, at our table. It was beautiful. That.Is.How.Powerful.God.Is. He hears, He heals. He can take our rubble, and make all things new. It's never too late to let Jesus turn your mess into a message. Praise be to God.
But wait, there's more...
At the end of May, my husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary by renewing our wedding vows. We renewed our commitment to each other, and to Christ, and chose to take the GEN3 Pledge at our vow renewal, to stand up and break the cycle of rubble for our kids. We both came from broken families. We’ve had our set of struggles, like any couple, but we’re making the choice to embrace Hesed, rather than society’s commonplace of divorce. To give our children a new inheritance through the grace and strength of Jesus. Hallelujah!
What is Family?
Family is foundation. If your foundation is cracked, or broken... God can repair. He can start you new. Sometimes things break in order to be made new. He knows.
We signed the GEN3 Promise on May 24, 2014, with our close friends, family and Pastor. To do everything we can to provide a thriving family for at least three generations.
I love the truth behind the Irreplaceable lesson: It is better to have a redeemed family, than a perfect one. Amen! And the first step, starts with us. #GEN3Promise
"...As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" -Joshua 24:15
www.focusonthefamily.com Helping Families Thrive
