I have something a little different for you today. I’m amazed at how many of the last eleven posts weren’t part of my original slate of posts. Things are coming to my attention here and there that either I didn’t know about or hadn’t considered. I suppose that happens when you’re actually looking for God. It’s a little like your drive to work. What color is the last house you see before you arrive? You might not be able to remember just because you’ve seen it so many times that it’s become ‘noise’.
Something came to my attention that made me take a step back. One of the things that can affect the orphan crisis the most both near and far is strong families. Strong families mean fewer orphans to begin with. Strong families also mean more families that can adopt or help with family preservation. Strong families are the ones who can look around, see a family in jeopardy in their church or community and get involved in a real way that helps that jeopardized family stay together.
What makes a strong family? Commitment and togetherness. Love comes and goes. None of us is lovable all the time, and none of us feels love all the time. Commitment is what gets us through those unlovable times. Togetherness means doing things together! Do a couple of you need to go to the chiropractor? Set your appointments up so you can all go one after the other. Need to run errands? Do it together once in a while. And yes, even do that with grocery shopping. You don’t have to do it every time, and make sure when you do, you’re doing this with both parents. That’s how you make the grocery shopping work when you have multiple kids along! Need to get the house cleaned up? If everyone works together for fifteen minutes, we’re together and we’re done faster. How about wrapping Christmas gifts? Involve your kids and spouse. It doesn’t mean everyone has to do the same things…maybe someone can just hand you tape.
The more you do together, the closer you become and the more enjoyable life is. Here’s a really important part: you have to PLAY together too. Once in a while, do something that your kids think is crazy and fun. Set a timer and grab a container of bubbles and start blowing them for the next five minutes. Or, turn up some music and dance! If your kids roll their eyes, keep going. The more you do together, the less likely they’ll be to do that. They’ll dance with you eventually. Show your kids how to have fun; it’ll help you create a strong family!
I don’t watch Jimmy Fallon Live, nor do I want to get into politics here. But no matter how you feel about either you can enjoy this. The First Lady’s let’s move campaign was highlighted by Jimmy on Jimmy Fallon Live, and Michelle Obama herself showed up to help out. She’s cute in this and this is fun, so in honor of Let’s Move, turn up some music, grab your spouse and kids and spend some time moving! Each time you do something together, you’ll be getting stronger as a family. Who knows…maybe God will use your strong family to help another family or an orphan sometime soon…
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