One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.  Eph 4:6

Great comfort comes to those of us who operate in a step or blended family when we hear these words of scripture: “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Eph 1:5.

When given another chance of functioning successfully in a step family, a better perspective is in the hope and liberty of freshly packing new suit cases  rather than negatively looking back and being held captive by “old baggage”.

We know that families can grow or be disrupted by divorce or death. and new families can be reconstructed in a variety of ways.  Ron Deal, author and counselor from Family Life, says there are 67 possible variations of a step or blended family. No natural, single parent, or blended family is perfect but has an identifiable bent toward becoming more wholesome or a bent toward falling apart.

The great, George Bernard Shaw said, “Some men see things as they are and say, Why? I dream of things that never were and say, Why not?” The Greatest, Jesus Christ, says in Matthew 19:26, “With God, all things are possible.

As inspirational leaders, and equipped with these natural and supernatural confidence-building quotes, please join Cynthia and me as we embark together on our blended-family journey; fully packing our new “Christianite Luggage” with these traveling necessities.

1. Let’s pack some common goals and similar interests. Like denominations or political parties, families with separate roots or agendas work against itself.  As Christians, we must rally and purpose around Christ for our “community.” There’s an old hymn: O Pilgrim bound for the heavenly land, never lose sight of Jesus. The common goal for a real Christian family of any sort is packing up afresh in the full gospel or good news of Christ.
2.  Let’s put in order a unified family focus. People, things, ideas, promotions and projects are important; but for a Christian, the model of Jesus and becoming like Him must be the family focus. There’s an old adage from St. Augustine – “In essentials unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

3.  Let’s make ready a competent and balanced approach. Maintaining what’s good and wholesome and building slowly but surely with a prayerful cover of God is the stability and progress of a Christian family.

4.  Let’s stow grace and mercy to love, serve, and sacrifice. Tripping someone up or down is one thing.  Tripping over one another to help and edify is divine, and the obvious witness as real love one for another.

Family and friends, if God is not our ultimate adoptive parent and Father, and His idea for smart step family preparation is not our packing purpose too, then we are only left with the ideas of man.  Given that fateful option, all one would have left to say is… God help us!

Carry Ons: Romans 8:28; 1 Cor 10:31; Prov 3:5-6; Rom 8:37; Matt 19:26; 2 Thes 2:16-17; Gal 2:20; Gen 50:20; 1 Cor 6:19; Acts 1:8; Luke 17:33; Matt 5:9; 1 Tim 5:8