God designed the family as the divine institution that – ideally — provides a safe, nurturing, transformative environment for each of us. In God’s plan, within the circle of family we are cared for, loved and protected. It is a group of connected people growing, loving, and building together, encouraging each other’s highest potential.
The family design emerged in the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 2:18 — when God created man and said, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” After creating Adam and his partner, Eve, God instructed them to “be fruitful and multiply” (see Genesis 1:28). It was always God’s intention to ‘grow’ human families; His actions and commands in Genesis illustrate His original intention – for the fullness and perfection of humanity to be found and expressed within loving relationships with others in a safe place – a ‘home’ (initially the Garden of Eden!) — full of abundance, wholeness, and God’s blessing.
Today, research shows that God’s original intention for the family is still the perfect model for humans. Recent studies show that increased time spent enjoying family can add years to our lives. Other research has indicated that quality family relationships, rather than money, contributes to our overall, life-long happiness.
It is within our earliest relations with family members and caretakers that we experience the initial social interchanges that influence healthy self-perception and healthy relationships. Our family — parents, older siblings, grandparents — and caretakers nurture us during infancy and childhood while we are totally dependent. During adolescence those same parents and care-takers must learn to manage the challenges of their adolescents’ new desire for independence. Later, as teenagers and young adults, we rely on our family for guidance, advice, and comfort as we move out into the ‘real world.’ Much of how we will relate to the world during adulthood will depend on how we are impacted and molded by these foundational years in our families.
It is also within the family that we are taught to establish healthy emotional boundaries – the ability to determine and assert what our personal responsibilities are — and aren’t…in our relationships with others. If we don’t learn healthy boundary setting in our families, we will lack the proper relational and self-care skills needed for life-success later on…in our careers, in our relationships, and in the work God has for us to do here on earth.
