The first relationship we establish as soon as we come into the world is the family relationship. Our first life experience, the first lessons we learn, are with our family. We spend the period between the ages of 0-7, which is the most decisive and critical time of our lives, with our family. That’s why the kind of family we are born into is of great importance for the rest of our lives. While the experiences of some of us with our family shape our lives, the absence of family shapes the lives of some of us. 

In the first years of our lives, we get to know the world through our family. We experience with them the presence or absence of emotions such as trust, love, peace. If our family environment is not full of trust and affection, we may have difficulty in trusting, receiving or showing love after we grow up. Of course, while our experiences with our family inevitably affect our lives, there are many ways to minimize these effects. Through counseling or sharing our experiences with someone trustworthy, we can be freed from the influence of bad memories. Although it may be difficult to go back and recall all that happened, it is worth it. Because it’s not just for our benefit, it’s for the benefit of our children, and for the family we’ve built or will build. 

Family doesn’t have to be just people with whom we have blood ties, of course. Some of us may also have a more important place in our lives by family members of our own choosing. Adopted children look not at the biological bond with their parents, but at the love they receive from them. If we are in the position of being the family of a child, if we have taken on this responsibility in whatever way, it is imperative to leave behind the wrong practices you have learned from our own family. If we are primarily affected by the mistakes of our family, we should be much more careful not to inflict these same consequences on our own children.

Family relationships can sometimes be very complicated and difficult, but it’s worth every effort to be forgiving and loving. Because they are God’s intermediaries to bring us into the world, and they will always be a part of our lives. It should also be remembered that no one learns to be a parent or to be a sibling from birth. We all make mistakes. Only if we support each other and approach each other with a positive attitude can change be possible. 

God’s family picture is a perfect picture. Here on earth we may not reach this perfection, but we can aim to get the closer it, and the more we do this the better our relations will be. To obtain this lofty goal, we can come to God, as in all matters in our family relationships, and pray that He will help our family renew the bonds of love, ensure peace, and protect each our family members. Even if our family is not with us, we can remember that we are not alone. God is the most perfect father in existence. All the family identities we need and more are in Him, and most importantly, He is always with us.

If you’d like to hear more about family ties, you can listen to our podcasts on this topic.