SHAPING YOUR FAMILY’S FUTURE


INTRODUCTION


your family in some way and are therefore worth thinking and talking about when it comes to parenting. The sessions also use the Bible as a way to understand our inner selves and our lives more clearly. The program assumes that God’s love for us is the source of all human love. And since healthy family life is, at its core, about loving one another, it’s impossible to talk about parenting without talking about God’s love. Genesis 2:18–24 tells us that God gave Eve to Adam as a gift of love. Together, they received the role of caring for God’s creation. Of course, that didn’t go so well. Still, even in the


Learning to forgive and to extend grace to those who have hurt us are important


steps in becoming emotionally healthy adults.


face of their failure, God’s love for Adam and Eve was unfailing. God told them to make a family, to pass the love they received on to their children. The family you are creating is a continuation of that same story. You’re not simply adding a child to your family; you are adding a chapter to the story of God’s work in the world. Along with this view of God’s love we focus on God as being full of grace and mercy. Because we believe that God forgives us for all the ways in which we fail to be the people God created us to be, it’s important that we learn to forgive others as well. Ephesians 4:31–32 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate


to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” It can be difficult to be honest with ourselves and others about the ways that our families have hurt us without resorting to control or blame. But learning to forgive and to extend grace to those who have hurt us are important steps in becoming emotionally healthy adults. As you learn more about the childhood experiences of your parents and grandparents, you might find that those they trusted most have hurt them. The events in their lives may have scarred them in ways you’ve never thought about before. If you take nothing else from this resource, try to find a place of compassion for those who have wronged you in some


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