The Gift of Family

By Kelly Shults

San Diego, California (USA)

Scripture Reading:

• Psalm 68:4-6
• Mark 10:29-30

Hello, my name is Kelly Shults, it is a privilege to experience God with you today! 

 Family is a topic that can be sensitive to many of us. Maybe when you hear the words “The Gift of Family,” you might think: This has not been a gift in my life. God, where is my gift? Did you forget me? Or maybe you have had a very bad experience with your family dynamic. Maybe you are a single mom or you have been adopted. I just want to encourage you today, let’s hear from the scriptures and see God’s heart for you. Let’s start, shall we?

Psalm 68:4-6 – Psalms is a book of Hebrew poetry. We will not find prophesies for our lives or future, but we will find a description of how the author of each psalm viewed and experienced God. “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…” This is how David, the author of this psalm/song, saw and experienced God. We can glean from these words that God is a father to the fatherless and that we were made as social beings, so he sets us in communities/families. That is God’s heart and character!

I was talking to a single sister last week and she shared with me that coming from a single-parent household can be very challenging. She has felt that, as an adult, her family is her responsibility. As she takes care of her parent, she sometimes feels like the mom in the relationship. She also said to me with a sense of peace, “God does not need me to be responsible for Him. He wants love and deep intimacy with me. I can rest with Him.”

This psalm/song also calls us in verse 4 to “sing,” “extol,” and “rejoice before him.” I was thinking: How can I sing, extol, and rejoice when I don’t feel that is where I am with God at this moment? I may know so many things in my mind, but my heart and feelings don’t follow my understanding!

So, I spend time meditating in God’s word and I ask God to help me to give Him the praises He deserves. More and more I realize that sitting with God and spending time with Him helps me to really appreciate His fatherhood, His character, His actions and I can see the Holy Spirit working around me.

Mark 10:29-30 – These are Jesus’ words and His words are true. They are not poetry; they are directions and teachings.

I experienced the fulfillment of His words several times in my life.

I married James in Brazil. He was a missionary who helped to start our church in Sao Paulo. In 2005, God brought us to the U.S. and for the first time in my life I was leaving my family, my culture, my church, and everything that was familiar and safe. The first two years in America I spent learning English, helping my kids to adapt, praying, and crying a lot. I knew, however, that God would help me to build a new family with the church and the community. Since that time, I have moved two more times and God always helped me to build family again and again.

Today, the U.S. is home for me and I love the family I have here--many friends in different states. I feel loved and accepted.  God really gave me 100 times more! But He also gave me persecution, disappointments, and pain. The people I love have also hurt and rejected me at times.

Nineteen years ago, I left everything. I would not change my decision and the path God put me on. I am so grateful! Today, I understand more that families are not perfect, but they are so vital. The ones you love will disappoint you, but you will grow if you trust the Father of the fatherless.

Questions for Reflection: 

1. Think and write down the ways God has been a Father to you.

2. Write down the names of people who have been a family to you (blood family, church family, friends, etc.).

3. Do you feel lonely in this season in your life? Write down why or why not.

4. Reflect on the times when God gave you 100 times more when you “left” something or someone to follow Him.

Today I will:

Consider a way to be “family” to someone around me, in the same way that others have been family to me.

About the Author:

Kelly Shults has been married for 31 years to James. They have two wonderful adult kids, Rebecca and Eric. She became a disciple of Jesus during her college years at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1989. She loves having people over, reading books, walking on the beach, and yoga. As Kelly says, “God is so good to me and I am grateful for His presence in my life.”