Very imperfect families

The Bible doesn’t hide behind rose-tinted glasses when it comes to family life. In just one generation, Genesis paints a brutal picture including childlessness and favourite children, scheming and deception, falling out and running away, indentured slavery and phenomenal wealth, rape and murder. I hope your family background doesn’t include all of those things, but the chances are it includes some of them – because every family is messy, every family has its skeletons it would rather keep locked away. I find great comfort in the fact that the Bible is painfully realistic about family feuds and failures – because we can relate to those far more easily than we could to some ‘perfect’ family.

As we delve into the story of Jacob in Genesis 25-35 over these coming weeks, we’ll discover that it’s also the story of God’s grace and goodness. He answers heart-felt prayer (albeit after 20 years!), he speaks to people in their pain, he meets with fearful men, he blesses undeserving scoundrels. Above all he keeps his promises – maybe not on our preferred human timescales – but keep them, he does. I find even greater comfort in the fact that God chooses to work in and through families which are bruised and broken – because that gives me hope that he can work in and through me and my family, too.  

I hope that gives you hope, as well: God doesn’t wait for you or your family to be perfect. God doesn’t mind how messed-up, miserable, mean-spirited or mad your family is. No-one is beyond his grace. His goodness covers over our grime. His promises and patience tower over our lives.