There are many different ways someone can be blessed. For me my precious gifts are my family. First my Father God my Brother Christ and the comforter Holy Spirit those are my spiritual treasures. But my earthly treasures that was given from the spirit is my family on earth.

When I was younger I thought everyone lived the way I lived that we all came from similar homes. That everyone’s mom, would give the world for them. When I came across more and more people in my life I realized how blessed I am. Today I was just thinking on and praising God for the family I have.

In spite of our imperfections and our differences, and our challenges we love each other we support each other and we encourage each other. Well they do for me. I can’t speak for anyone else in my family, but I can speak for myself when I say my mom is the most special woman in my life and she always will be. My brothers are my shoulders my first protectors. My sister she was my first mentor (besides my mom) she was advisor, without her I would still have an awkward style and cabbage patch bangs.

And then there’s my best friend, we have known each other since we were 16 years older, almost half of our lives now, and we are as different as different can be we are sun and moon, we are rain and shine, dessert and forest, night and day. But the two things that we have common, is we love adventure and we love our God (not in that order). It is God that has become our 3^rd chord strand, it is adventure that has bound us as sisters not just friends.

And there are a few others in my life, who God has given the ability to make me smile. Even on the rainiest day, there are members of the body of Christ who pray for me even when I don’t ask for it. Family comes in all shapes and sizes, it comes with the blood of your mother or father sometime it comes within the blood of Christ.

Beloved, my prayer is that those that have families learn to appreciate them. And for those who feel they do not have family, will one day find a family, I pray one day they will find a part of the body of Christ they can plug into and have brothers and sisters they can grow with and share that unconditional love with through all challenges. Life is what you make it, and beloved, so is family, family too is what you make it. Forgiveness is the key to a healthy relationship, not just marriage but each and every other relationship, Forgiveness and mercy and grace and above all LOVE, the love that covers the multitude of sins, the love that makes you color blind, the love that compels you to do good to those around you. The love that helps comfort and heal and exhort your community. Family is deeper than blood, and it can not thrive without LOVE.