It is Sunday afternoon. On such a day we (meaning two of our sons and family) gather to have a meal together. We started with the idea of doing it every Sunday, but… we have decided for the moment to do it two Sundays a month.
It is such joy to have them seating around the table together and giving God thanks, from the smallest to the oldest as we hold hands and pray. Then after the meal we deal with dirty dishes, messy floors and running and screaming children inside the house. This makes my wife very nervous and stressed out, but deep inside she loves it.
We play together, have talks, play chess, take little ones to the pool and change many diapers and escort many to the bathroom. It seems chaotic, but when they leave we feel a small sense of emptiness and solitude. How can this be? Just a few hours ago, we were exhausted and longing to be alone once more.
God did not create us to be alone. He created the family of humans to keep each other company. He blesses marriages with much love for one another and then He blesses them with children. Let us not forget that they are not a nuisance, they are a gift from the Almighty. It is our responsibility as parents and grandparents to show them the path to salvation and back to God.
This Joyful Chaos or chaotic joy on Sundays is the second best highlight of our week. First, we rejoice with our brothers and sisters at church and then we rejoice with our other family. It is a little crazy and messy, but it brings us much joy and happiness.
Brothers and sisters don’t give up on your families. Enjoy as much time as you can with them. Play, eat, laugh and cry together, but most of all worship God together. I pray that you take time every day for family devotionals; a time to read God’s Word, sing his praises and pray together.
These devotional moments will keep your families together at all times. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 gives us the blueprint for effective and successful family devotions.
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This is pure joy in the Lord: A family that walks with Christ at all times. Yes, it can seem a little “chaotic” sometimes, especially when you are dealing with small children (or teenagers), but the reward is joy, eternal joy in the Lord.
Mayra and A. Gonzalez
