There’s a tendency when we get into a mode of putting family first, focusing on family, growing in family discipleship, protecting the family to become quite inward focused and overly protective of family and quite frankly, self centered. How can we be self centered when we’re focusing on our family? Well, our family is an extension of ourself and if this is our only focus it can become quite unhealthy.
If your vision for your family is simply to be healthy and growing and flourishing in order to have an incredible family, that vision is too small. God has a bigger vision for you, he has a bigger purpose and destiny for you and your family. The purpose of growing as a family and focusing on family discipleship is UNTO something bigger than the family. The vision of raising our kids to know and love Jesus and to live their lives in light of that love is for the purpose of reaching others for Christ. We want to proclaim the love of Jesus to the nations, to our neighbors, to our classmates, and to our team mates.
I see a normal tendency to protect your family above all else. It can be normal to guard your family time, to protect your youth and children from the world, to put safety above purpose. I want the normal for my family to be impact. Our family flourishes so that the name of Jesus is proclaimed and the love of Jesus is felt and seen as we live our lives out in the world. There are many ways that fear can trump impact. Fear can sometimes cause you to want to protect them and keep them safe and not allow or encourage them to be mobilized for impact. I want to encourage you to send your family out into the world to impact others to know and love Jesus.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I am not saying to purposefully place your children in unsafe situations or not to protect them and keep them safe. What I am saying is to not place protection above mission. Do not allow your fear or insecurities to limit what God is calling your fam
ily to.
Let’s make decisions based on mission and not protection. Let’s develop our priorities with the intention to mobilize our families to make an impact for Jesus.
What do you feel God is calling your family to? What is something you can do this week with your family to develop an outward focus and mission?
Family Discipleship Path 