The Blessings of Being a Christian Family

Intellectually, most of us realize that being part of a Christian Family is a blessing. However, sometimes we can get discouraged, not by being Christians, but by comparing ourselves to other families who may not be Christians. Honestly, sometimes I look at people that have scads of money and I feel envious. I think, "Why can't our family be like that?" I know the answer: My husband and I went to Bible College. We invested thousands of dollars to get an education in areas that wouldn't "pay" well when we graduated (I received a B.A. in Missions, and my husband a B.A. in Biblical Studies.)

Generally speaking, Christian families have a higher calling than just working at high-paying jobs and accumulating affluence and material possessions. I know of some Christian families that God has blessed with finances and I am in no way implying that I disapprove of that. However, it has been my experience that, in general, Christian families are not the wealthiest on their block.

What makes the difference? God has a plan for the Christian family. Oftentimes this plan includes a little sacrifice. Perhaps God has called you to financially support missions or a specific ministry and it takes a significant portion of your income. Perhaps God has told you that He wants you to stay home with your children rather than working outside the home. Maybe God has called you to serve in the military or social work or education where the income isn't exorbitant.

Surely, it is easy to focus on the negatives, but let's look at the blessings. If you are a Christian, you have a personal relationship with God. You realize what Jesus has done for you and have received Him into your life. Would you trade having wealth for knowing that heaven is your home? Think about some of the people you know who do not have faith in God. When bad things happen in their lives, who do they turn to? What promises and assurances do they have in which to trust? The believer has the promise of Romans 8:28 that says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God..."

Whatever happens in our lives, God has a purpose for it! Often that purpose is to draw us closer to Him or to teach us to be more like Him. As a family, when we struggle emotionally, financially or physically we know that we have a God who loves us and does what is best for us, even if we can't understand it. The Bible says that we are to "lay up treasures in heaven" and that we are to set our affections on things above, "not on things on the earth, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." II Corinthians 4:18b.

We have the blessing and privilege of serving God here on earth so that we can have treasures and rewards in heaven. The possessions we lay in store will not last 70-80 years like they would on earth, they are eternal!