“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14-15)
Try and get your mind around this verse. Every family throughout the generations originates from the designer of family, the True Father. Have you ever thought about the fact that your family is named after its Creator? So is every other family that has, does, or will exist. Your family and mine is a unique creation of God bearing His image and His name. Why does this matter?
My dad used to give me the “family name” talk every once and a while. Did you every get that one? It went a little something like this. “Brian, don’t forget you carry my name with you wherever you go. What you say, what you do, where you go, and who you hang out with, reflects on my name. There are benefits to carrying my name but with it comes responsibility. Don’t run it through the mud.” I distinctly remember getting that one before I started middle school, the first time I traveled by myself, and even going off to college. With the family name comes provision, protection, security and blessing. Accompanying all of that is personal responsibility.
Remembering that our family is created and named after the Father influences the way we parent. You see, the way I love my wife reflects God’s love. The way we discipline our daughters reflects the Father. The way we lead our daughters reveals the Good Shepherd. When we show grace we are a mirror image of the grace of Jesus. We we serve others together as a family we reflect the hands and feet of the Father. When we teach our children the Bible we echo His words and His way of life.
We can also reflect poorly on the family name. When we are hypocrites as parents we confuse our girls about the Father. When I don’t love well I cheapen the Father’s love.
How we parent clearly influences our children and their understanding of God, the beauty of His name, and their personal relationship with him. Sure, He is a big God. He can work around imperfect parents. Thank goodness. His plan however is not to work around us but instead to work through us.
Mom, Dad… you bear the family name. You were created to reflect the Father to your children. Do your children have a healthy sense of what it means to be a child of God because of your family relationship? God loves his kids. That includes you and me. Gladly embrace the family name and all of the protection and provision that comes with it but don’t neglect the personal responsibility. Pursue your children as the loving Father pursues you and bless the next generation!
Brian Haynes 