The kingdom of God is all about family. It’s about fathers and mothers and sons and daughters. It’s about love and honor and freedom and growth. From the beginning of time, God’s desire was to create a family system. One that fully reflected His nature.
Over time, the system that was created in His image has taken on a different identity all together. Our understanding of family has become more of a reflection of our human experiences, slip-ups and downfalls.
Jesus, with all of His divine authority, came to teach us how to step back into alignment with God’s original family plan. He taught us how to honor God as a father. He demonstrated how to be a son and showcased how to forgive your enemies by loving them like a brother. It was His will to bring the Father’s heart and restore His family.
We, as humans in this world, still struggle to grasp this. The family system was created by God, and in many ways, still doesn’t look like what He desires it to be. But within all of us who claim Jesus as our King is something that remains untarnished by the things of this world. It remains fully alive to God’s passion for a healthy family system. In our being is the same Spirit who played a part in the making of the original family blueprints. It is He, the Holy Spirit, who molds us into the likeness of Jesus. And as we become more like Him, we begin to value what He values. We also learn to recognize the things that come against our new identity, and we regain our ability to keep them from obstructing our kingdom vision.
In my latest episode of the Next Level Podcast With Michael McIntyre, I have a discussion with Danny and Sheri Silk about this very thing. Danny believes that two opposing factors often make us feel overwhelmed in our pursuit of kingdom family.
“The reality is that we live in a war zone. And the war is between fear and love,” he explained. “Whether it’s your money, or your mama, or your spouse or your child. You just go down the list of places where failure is an option and people struggle with the courage to love or the self-preservation of fear…It’s your decision. What do you want to live in, and what do you want to cultivate?”
It’s my belief that fear is what keeps us from fully embracing God’s design for kingdom family. Not just in our own homes, but in every aspect of our lives. With every interaction we have with people comes an opportunity to practice loving a brother or sister. Maybe it’s a chance to father someone who has never had someone come alongside them and build them up. Maybe it’s finding someone who has spent their long life searching for someone else to pour into. Can you be the one to honor them and receive the wisdom they so desperately want to share?
I think it’s time we stop allowing life’s circumstances to paint a distorted picture of family. It’s time we get back to treating people as if their life is valuable. It’s time we remind people that our family is incomplete without their full participation. God has a picture He wants us to see. It’s a family portrait. And in it, you and I are brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers. We are fully alive, and we aren’t afraid to love.
Listen to my entire conversation with Danny and Sheri Silk about kingdom family at this link. {eoa}
Shawn Akers 
Rabbi Eric Tokajer 
