Our Sunday School class has been watching an amazing series called Future Family. It's by Andy Stanley, Dr. Charles Stanley's son, and it is really life changing. Our class has watched all the videos, and we're in the process of going back and discussing each one. There are 6 parts to the series, and they discuss everything related to a family...from dealing with issues in your family when you were growing up, to what type of legacy you'll leave to your great-grandkids, and everything in between. There's even one lesson solely devoted to parenting tips (lesson 5).
One of the lessons (lesson 4), is about conflict within family. That's definitely a topic everyone can relate to! As Andy Stanley says, if family conflict hasn't visited you yet, it will at some point. This message was extremely powerful for our group....at the end of the video, most of the men & women in our class were crying. The takeaway for us was two main things. First, God forgives with no strings attached, so we can't demand more of people than God does. So no bringing up past junk! History is just that...old news. Just apologize, forgive, and move on without bringing it up again. Secondly, as Christians, we are required to forgive and do the right thing. It's not optional. Even if it feels like the mended fences are just on our side and nothing gets better. We have to do the right thing anyway. These are some hard rules to live by, but we're certainly going to try!
These are just a few of the many things we've learned from this series. We have learned where some of our friends are coming from, and to cut them a little slack. We have learned to put things in perspective when it comes to disciplining...not everything is a big deal. We have learned the difference between an "ideal family" and a "real" one. We've learned that the way we act & react to situations will definitely influence our children, and our children's children. As Andy Stanley said, "Actions don't merely speak louder than words, sometimes they echo into the next generation". That's quite a statement, and one we don't take lightly. Because if nothing else, the boys in the picture below will grow up knowing the unwavering love of family, and hopefully we'll be the type of parents they'll want to be when they have little ones of their own!
To learn more about this series, or to watch episodes (please, please do!), visit www.futurefamily.org
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