If you read my other blog, "The Year of Living Apart", then you will understand why I believe family is so important in life.
Despite Paul's assertion in 1 Corinthians that he wishes more people were single, like he was (although there is a rather lengthy discourse among theologians as to whether or not Paul was married and had either abandoned or divorced his wife - or more likely she him - after he became a Christian since he would have almost certainly been married in order to be considered a good Pharisee and leader of the Jews prior to his conversion) God made it clear in Genesis that it is not good for a man (or woman) to be alone. That is the basis for his creation of Eve, for his putting the man and the woman together into one union, and for his continual support of marriage and the family throughout the Bible.
In other words, God believes family is important.
I tend to agree.
Before you get all excited (or concerned) that I'm going to veer off into the "traditional marriage v. gay marriage" discussion, that this is somehow setting up my argument for or against same sex marriage or traditional marriage, settle down, this is a blog about the importance of relationships, specifically family relationships, not a blog about what unions constitute a family.
When I met Jo, I instantly knew she was different from every other girl I'd ever dated. There was something about her, something in the way we "clicked" that made me want to spend the rest of my life with her. (She'd tell you I was a self-absorbed musician with an attitude problem and a sketchy past who she didn't want anything to do with when we first met, but I digress.) 22 years and 3 kids later, I am in love with her more than I ever thought possible. My marriage has given me the opportunity to experience love, trust, forgiveness, grace, hope, and joy in ways that I know I would have never experienced outside of this relationship; outside of the family she and I are.
With the birth of each of our three children, I have experienced something I absolutely know I would not have experienced anywhere other than in that hospital room the first time I held each of them. I experienced the certain knowledge that I would do everything in my power to protect them; that I would give up anything I needed to to make sure that they had whatever they needed to be healthy, happy, and successful. I also knew in those first few moments of their lives that nothing they could ever say or do would ever stop me from loving them. These are emotions I do not think I would have ever experienced outside of the family that we are.
Fatherhood has taught me so much about God and his love for me as his child. I can't run so far away that he stops searching for me. I can't mess up so spectacularly (or so often) that he stops forgiving me. I can't be so angry at him that he stops loving me. He wants the best for me and in my relationship with God I experience love, trust, forgiveness, and hope in ways I could never experience if I weren't in this relationship.
Those things are mirrored in my family (imperfectly, yes), but still in ways that remind me how vital marriage and family is to the perfect ideal that God intended for us and intends for us to experience again.
Now, beyond all the theological stuff, I will say this: nothing compares to coming home and spending time with Jo and the kids, whether we are watching football, going out to eat, or, like tonight, going out to wander around The Strip, and enjoy this city we live in together. And that word right there - the word "together" - is why family is so important to me. I get to live this life together with the four people I love most in this world.
