Staying Bonded

This summer my family and I went on quite the adventurous excursion. In twelve days, we drove 4,000 miles to the Wild Wild West to visit Yellowstone National Park and back home. We made lots of stops along the way to see grandparents, sisters in two states and a newborn niece. We had an all nighter stomach bug, a stolen phone and it’s happy retrieval, as well as several other mishaps along the way. To say we were happy to sleep in our own bed when we finally got home is an understatement.

My kids are nine and eleven years old and it’s sad to say, but we had not spent that kind of time together since our last vacation. Honestly, I don’t think we’ve had that much fun together before. We took our relationships with each other to a whole new level. We realized that we were all very much alike and by golly we even all like each other.

Now it’s back to reality with soccer practices, school, homework and well you know the drill. It makes me want to hyperventilate just thinking about it. How do we keep all of the plates spinning and stay bonded at the same time?

I can’t imagine all of the pressure and responsibility that Jesus felt with people all around Him all of the time. . . People with significant needs like being paralyzed or demon possessed. Yet He kept his relationships, not just intact, but close and bonded. When we look at what Jesus did to keep all of the plates spinning we find Him doing a couple of important things. You guessed it, He pulled away and spent time with the Father.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

I honestly think this is how Jesus stayed focused on the mission. He spent time with the Father to hear the directions and words of His Father.

Another thing that kept him bonded to His disciples, who probably are the ones who felt like family to Him on earth, was the fact that He was a servant to them. We think of the disciples as being the ones who should serve Jesus, but Jesus served them. If he was not already respected, this probably did the trick! He washed their nasty, grimy, sinful feet. They knew that they were in a place of great honor with the King of Kings washing their feet.

Spending time with the Father first thing in the morning and serving my family are a couple of the goals that I have in keeping my family bonded this year during the craziness of life. I know that when my Father fills my cup to overflowing (Psalm 16:5) (Psalm 107:9) that I am able to share that love with others, especially my sweet, wild and crazy family. Praise Him!