Have you ever wondered why God created families? I mean, families don’t appear to have the greatest track record. Look at the statistics on divorce, mental and physical abuse, "unwanted" children, step-parents, step-siblings, "step, step-parents", "step, step-siblings". Many people don’t know who their biological parents are. And many lives have been put in chaos because a brother or sister they never even knew existed showed up on their doorstep.

We’re not talking something unique to our generation. The destruction of family goes way back to Genesis. We only have to read the first couple of chapters before we find strife, jealousy and murder! Not a very promising beginning.

I asked God if He regretted making families. His answer was unexpected, but certainly made sense:

When I came into this world I came as a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece and a cousin. When I married I became a wife. But I was still a daughter, a sister, a cousin. When I became a mother, I was still a wife. I am only one person physically, but I have many different aspects, facets, roles.

Let me break this down one step further. There are many aspects of being a mother. My daughters see me as a care-giver, encourager and supporter, comforter, disciplinarian, nurse, cook, seamstress….the list goes on and on. When one would fall and scrap a knee, she would come to me as the "nurse". If one were hungry, I put on my "chef’s hat". I was still all the other facets of a mother, but I gave them the part of me that they needed at that particular time. I gave them what they needed most right then.

That is the way God is. He is One, yet He has many, many different characteristics. In Exodus 3:14 He tells us that His name is I AM. In other words, there are so many aspects of Him that it would be impossible to list them all. His different facets are endless. But when we go to Him, He gives us the part of Him that we need the most right then.

If we have sinned and seek His forgiveness, He comes to us as Grace and Mercy. If we are ill, He shows Himself faithful as our Healer. If we are fearful He responds to us as our Protector. If we become discouraged He is our Comforter. He does not stop being everything else that He is. He simply gives the part of Him that is the most important to us at that particular time.

What God is telling us is that HE HIMSELF IS A FAMILY! And because we are created in His own image (Genesis l: 26-27) we have also been created as a family.

God’s answer made sense. But it also brought another question. "God, You are family. We are made in Your image. Why then have we made such a mess of Your plan for us?"

Again, His answer was the unexpected, but did it ever hit me right where I lived. The problem lies in the way we as humans see Him. Most of us look at God through our eyes, not His. We see God through our past experiences, not through His Word. We are looking at Him BACKWARDS.

Let me share an example. We had a bully in our grade school. He would call me names and hit me. One day he threw a rock at my face. By the time I got home my eye had all but swollen shut and I had to tell my parents what had happened and who had done it. It was only natural that my father would want to be my defender and protector. So we all got in the car and drove over to the boy’s house.  The only thing that was accomplished was that I received an apology and he received a spanking. However, it did not change his opinion of me. He was not any nicer to me.

See, my father may have been my defender, but he was not my protector. He defended me in the boy’s home, but he could not go to school with me the next day to make sure the boy left me alone.

How did I view God after that when I needed a protector? I looked at God through the eyes of that past experience. I thought God could do no more than my earthly father had.

Sadly this applies in every area of our lives. We compare God with our earthly families.

If this message has touched you like it did me, I urge you to get into God’s Word. Start looking at God through His eyes. Place His Word above your experiences. Instead of looking at your physical family as your example look to God. He is your TRUE family. Ask God to show you where you have been seeing Him backwards. It will be the beginning of a whole new relationship filled with His abundant blessings.