Family Creed

When God unexpectedly brought our adopted daughter’s little sister into our family a few years back, many things changed very quickly. One of these things was our home. Suddenly, the small Cape Cod we had loved for so many years, no longer worked and the only option was to look for a bigger home. Thankfully, we knew exactly what we were looking for and felt confident about the home search. Or so we thought…

Once our house was sold and we were able to start searching for our new home, everything changed. The pressure to find a house—and find one within a tight time frame—suddenly made us willing to compromise and consider houses far outside the criteria we had initially agreed upon. On top of that, the voices from others were hard to ignore. The housing market was incredibly competitive at that time and many were quick to tell us how impossible it would be to buy a house. Fear is a powerful emotion and we quickly realized it had the potential to push us to make decisions we never imagined we’d make. I praise God that he led us to a great home within the criteria we’d always hoped, but I had a new understanding for how difficult it can be to hold the line in times of pressure.

There is a strong spiritual application here that all of us as Christian parents need to take to heart. So many of us have the desire to build our family on a strong foundation. But then life happens, things change, and we get tossed around. The truths that seemed clear cut and simple from a distance often get murky once we are in the situations that challenge them. The pressures come on, fears creep in, and suddenly we can find ourselves compromising on things we said we’d never compromise on or raising our kids in ways we said we’d never raise them.

The early Church was not immune to pressures and compromise. Christianity was spreading throughout the world, but with it came wave after wave of attacks. Was Jesus true God? What did it matter whether people believed in the triune God or not? In the face of these types of challenges, Christian men gathered to write the Creeds that boldly declared the foundations of Christianity and have continued to do so centuries later. There would be no confusion where the Church stood when the pressure to compromise came.

Just like the early Christians, we need to know where we stand and why we stand there. God’s Word is our foundation, and if we want to hold firm in this world of compromise, there is no other place to stand than on the unchanging Word of God. The world is marred by sin. The deceptions and fears are real, and none of us are immune to them. The waves of skepticism, doubt, and intimidation will crash against our families. For many of us, they already have. Are we ready to stake our life and our families on God and his ways? Are we ready to stand out, to look weird, or face persecution as we lead our family in a way that honors God?  

Maybe this has already happened to you. You had a parenting plan but then the pressure came on, other parents asked questions, they gave convincing arguments, and before long, you found yourself parenting in a way you never thought possible. The hard reality is that as sinners, it often doesn’t take much to get us leading with our sinful nature and rationalizing unwise decisions or even blatant sin. It sure didn’t take much for Eve to cave in. Satan tempted her to doubt God and his goodness and, before long, we see Eve convincing herself why taking the forbidden fruit was actually a good thing.  

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” - Genesis 3:6

So, what should we do in light of external and internal pressures facing our families? We need to determine what we will stand upon, where we will refuse to compromise, and then, we need to go all in! It’s easier to follow God fully than to have a divided heart. We were never meant to live the Christian life on the fence, as close to the world as possible while still holding on to Jesus for our salvation. We’ve been made new creations in Christ, with new desires, new passions, and new priorities. We need to stop trying to cling to a cleaned-up version of the world that doesn’t satisfy. Taste and see that the Lord is good and build your life, your family, everything on him. You will stand out. You will be told you are ridiculous. You will face persecution. But Jesus promised us all these things. He also promised that following him was worth it.

This is not about what we say “no” to, as if being a disciple is merely a stale set of rules to follow. This is about what we live for. This is about what we believe in. It’s about setting boundaries and holding the line because we know God’s ways are good. And nothing this world holds out to us can even compare to the glorious riches we have in Jesus. Our family creed keeps us walking in the abundant, fruitful life God has called us to. It helps us focus on our mission of making disciples. It clears away the fog so we can move forward confidently living as families on mission for Jesus. What a joy! What a blessing! Why wouldn’t we want that?