How to Have a Perfect Family
Look at these sweet little boys! Aren’t they darling?
In this moment, these two brothers, just 14 months apart, are enjoying the fellowship of a loving relationship. It warms my heart!
Not a minute after I snapped this photo, Christian and Joe began an argument over that little tent that started with low rumblings, slid into screaming, and ended with a fist straight into a chest. Awesome.
It got me thinking about perfect families, and how I see them every Christmas in the beautiful cards sent our way. I love those cards! Hands-down, Christmas photos sent by friends from all over the world are one of the things I love most about Christmas.
But they can also feed my idolatrous soul.
Think about it: how much effort does it take to gather your family together for a lovely photograph worthy of being slipped into an envelope with your annual Christmas letter? Isn't there always at least one person with eyes closed, one toddler who's kicked off her shoes or is picking his nose, someone staring at the wrong thing? Someone forgot to iron the shirt they were supposed to wear, someone is having a bad hair day, and someone has been griping about having to be there at all.
We see these split second miracle snapshots of another family's life and we think, "I wish I had that." But we don't see the moments that led to that perfect shot and we don't hear the rumblings that came after it. We see only two sweet boys sharing a moment in a tent.
Want to know how to have a perfect family? Drop the idol of the perfect family. When we replace the perfection of Christ and what He's already done for us with something - anything - other than Him, we wrap ourselves tightly in a bondage that squeezes and crushes and leaves us gasping for air.
Remind yourself of the perfection of Jesus. When the Christmas cards start to arrive or the blog post boasts flawless photos that turn your pleasure into envy, remember Whose your family is and what He has done for you. That's true perfection.
