How’s Your Soul?- Family
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
–Psalm 128:3
“If you get your soul right, your behavior will change.”
Continuing with the series, "How’s Your Soul?," I want to talk about family. Family is truly a gift. I’m the only child so I never got to have a house full of brothers and sisters. When I talk to people who grew up with siblings, especially a lot of siblings they tell me, “you’re not missing anything with the fighting and arguing siblings bring.” Haha!
Whether you’re an only child like me, with only cousins to fill that void, or, you have a few siblings, I think we’d all agree that family is a gift. And while families have their problems a family is only as strong and good as the people in it. In order to be a good child, parent, cousin, nephew, grandchild, or uncle you have to get your soul right. When our souls aren’t right it can affect how we treat those in our families.
Without going too deep I want to introduce a thought… When we look at Adam, God entrusted him in Genesis 2: 15 to “work” and “to keep” the garden. Or those words “work” and “keep” when translated from Hebrew are “serve” and “to guard.” The name Adam means mankind. And Adam is a prototype of the high priest, a prototype of Christ. The name Eve means life giver. And Eve is a prototype of the people of God- the church. And the garden is a prototype of the tabernacle, a place where the people of God can worship Him and commune with Him. Adam and Eve were the first family. But in order for families to work properly, members must be plugged into God, they must have their souls right. It doesn’t mean that the members won’t make mistakes, but when each member is humbled before God everyday working on themselves, asking God to help them in what’s going on deep within their hearts (their souls) their behavior will change. And the family as a whole will flourish because Christ Jesus is the center.
Adam failed in his task to “serve and to guard” the garden- the tabernacle- the place of worship. Yes, Eve ate of the fruit first but Adam was there while the serpent was tempting her but he didn’t say a word. Adam let down his wife and God by not doing what God had tasked him with in Genesis 2:15, so God blamed him for breaking their covenant relationship (Genesis 3:16). God is holding men responsible to “serve” and “guard” their families, a gift that God has given them. And because of what Jesus did- our Great High Priest who didn’t lead His bride- His family into sin but undid what Adam did, men (and women) have the power to get their souls right and take on this task to have strong families.
But God is also holding women and children responsible for their roles within their family units. And He’s holding aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents to responsible for their roles. When we can as family members understand authority, resolve to obey God, and get our souls right before God, our families will be enjoyable where we give and receive from those we are related to.
Happy Friday!