The Meaning of Life

You can pick your friends…You can pick your nose…You can, perhaps, even pick your friend’s nose, although I’d suggest asking for permission first!


But they say you can’t pick your family. Is that true?


Families are defined by biology; but not completely. Family is a concept that everyone endorses. No one disparages the value of close-knit kinship. Everyone dreams of unity and peace. But family definitions and dynamics get pretty complicated, don’t they?


Brad and I are in the process of being approved to adopt a child between 8-12 from foster care. It’s been an enlightening and stretching process. One of our assignments was to draw a family connections map. It’s there on the right.


It was eye-opening to draw all the connections to family and friends. We have good bio-families, but there are dysfunctions. We have divorces that have created complications. Some of our family connections are strong, sweet, and amazingly deep. Some are strained to say the least. The point of the map to me is that family is a wacky, wonderful, frustrating, flowing, fabulous, flawed mess! No family is free of stress, strain, personality conflicts, insensitive or hurtful words and deeds. But we are called to unity of purpose despite the truth that complete, constant harmony is unattainable this side of heaven.


Unity among God’s family has been the plan since Adam was introduced to Eve. It’s our fallen nature that gets in the way. Jesus prayed for all believers – the family of God – in John 17:

May they (all of us) be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me (his family) to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

This is the call on all of us as family: Unity of purpose in order to make God and his character known is the meaning of life.

We are called to reflect his character through the display of our relationships. Scary, isn’t it - given all of the complex connections and all the ways we consistently fail to do it day-in and day-out?


Do come back. God has much more to say on this subject.