Thicker Than Water

 I am like a stranger to my relatives and like a foreigner to my own family.

– Psalm 69:8

The saying goes that blood is thicker than water.

Rain or shine — and in good times or bad — family should always have your back when you need them the most. Unfortunately, we know from the first pages of the Bible that families can fall short in countless ways. It’s in the Old Testament book of Genesis that we read about the jealous Cain’s murder of his brother, Abel. And jealousy was also the motive several chapters later when Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. But unlike Cain and Abel, Joseph eventually reconciled with his siblings.

If family feuds and estrangement are painfully familiar to you, you’re in very good company. After all, Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe in him at first. In fact, Mark’s gospel tells us that at one point in his ministry, the Savior’s family thought he was crazy and “went to take charge of him.” And Jesus underscored the limits of family by commenting, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” 

While human families are bound to fail at one extent or another, there is one Father who will never let us down. God — the most powerful and loving Presence in the universe — not only knows everything about you, he knew you before you were even born. Your name is written on his hand. And he’s also chosen you as his heir. So once you accept his Son (Jesus) as your Lord and Savior, you become his adopted child. And as God’s child and heir, you'll share in quite an inheritance to enjoy for eternity.

That’s a lot to look forward to once God calls you to join him. But you don’t have to wait until then to enjoy some of the family benefits. One is the privilege of knowing God in a personal relationship. Through prayer, you can come to him directly with your joys, needs and sorrows. It’s this close, ongoing bond that helps you overcome the rough spots that you're guaranteed to encounter throughout life.

Jesus taught his disciples that God isn’t a strict, unknowable taskmaster who waits to zap us when we do wrong. Christ instead revealed that our Creator is a warm, reassuring and loving Father in the best sense of the word. And to the amazement of all who heard him, Jesus even referred to him as Abba — a child’s word that translates into English as Daddy. 

The incredible truth is that God has chosen you and me as his adopted children. And just as with Jesus, he wants nothing more than to hear you respond, “Yes, Abba!”