Daily Devotional

Have you ever played that old game called Perfection? I remember playing the game with my friends as a kid. I cringe a little bit as I think back to that annoying timer ticking down as you try to get these little pieces placed perfectly before the timer goes off and shakes everything apart. I tend to be the type of person who sometimes gets lost in the fine details of things, striving for the fool’s errand that is perfection, especially within my family. But I can’t be the only one, can I?

While the “perfect family” doesn’t exist, I wonder how often we think about how much better things would be if things were perfect. So, we feel the burden of feeling like we need to get everything perfect, and if we don't . . . BOOM! Everything's a mess. Of course, we try our best to ensure that we don’t let this happen. But when our focus is off, I lose sight of what's most important to God—love.

The apostle John shows us that when we rely on God's love, we have the resources to care for our families as Jesus did. If we claim to love God, our attitudes toward everyone, including our families, should look like the love Jesus showed us. We can’t always fix what is broken in our family relationships, but we can trust God’s love to be enough as we navigate understanding. In Jesus, we have been given access to the infinite, boundless, unconditional source of love! So, we can receive love and offer it to others. We are far from perfect people. Yet the Bible reminds us that we can see God’s love perfected in us as we love one another. May that be our challenge today.

"English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."