Family can be a blessing from God. Healthy families can be crucial to our development, happiness, and effectiveness. Family creates very strong bonds, connections, and some (but not all) of our most important relationships. How we interact with family certainly is an important priority for everyone, scripture teaches us that.
BUT IF ANYONE DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR HIS RELATIVES, AND ESPECIALLY FOR MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD, HE HAS DENIED THE FAITH AND IS WORSE THAN AN UNBELIEVER. - 1 TIMOTHY 5:8
However, in today’s passage from Mark, we find Jesus saying some troubling and controversial things about family. It makes me ask two important questions. Do you think it’s possible the church in America has made the family into a spiritual idol? Churches do long topical series on family, childbearing, marriage, and I remember stadiums full for promise keepers. Not saying those things are bad, but man it sure gets a lot of attention does it? What about those that see family as painful, hurtful? What’s in all this talk about family for them?
