Are You a Family with Purpose?

Families of today come in all shapes and sizes. From the traditional (though somewhat rare) Leave it to Beaver family to the chronically dysfunctional Burnham’s in the 1999 film American Beauty, our neighborhoods, schools, towns, and churches are filled with families of many different sizes, styles, and varying degrees of dysfunction. These are the same families you see on the soccer fields, at the PTA meetings, and shopping in the grocery store. These are families who for better or worse are striving to make the most of their lives and to raise happy confident children who will make a difference in the world.

And some families will succeed and some will fail.

The families who fail will be the ones who lose their way and focus. Families who can’t see the bigger picture because they have became so overwhelmed with the struggles of life, caught up with the allure of material things, filled with thoughts of “what if”, or live their lives in a cloud of blame and resentment. It is these families who will fail.

The families who succeed are the families who are intentional about who they are as individuals and as a family. They are families who know who they are, what they stand for, and what they want from life. They have goals and dreams and plans to make them happen. They are families who live their lives with a purpose.

Are you a Family with Purpose? Here are some quick ways to tell.

• Does your family have dreams and goals? Families with purpose are families who dream together and work together to make their dreams and goals a reality.
• Does your family talk? A family with purpose is a family who takes the time to talk about the big things in life; their dreams, problems, fears, and questions. They talk without fear of judgment, laughter, or harshness.
• Does your family recognize trouble spots and weaknesses? A family with purpose is a family who acknowledges their problems and work together for resolutions. They deal with their problems and issues with open communication and with confidence.
• Does your family have control? A family with purpose is a family who controls their lives and who work diligently to prevent their lives from being controlled by outside factors. A family with purpose sets priorities and live their lives accordingly.

Every family at one point or another struggles in at least one of these areas. But it is families with purpose who recognize what they need to do and consistently reach for something more, something better. They recognize the value in living a life with meaning for themselves as individuals and as a family. Does your family have a purpose?