Family. Over. Everything.

When I woke up this morning and opened my Facebook memories…this post is what I saw. I felt that as we round out 2022, I should re-share it.

Everything we do in 2023 must be built on this foundation…and it being FIRM.

Love you all. Enjoy this re-read AND your family, whatever that looks like, during this beautiful week.

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MORNING THOUGHTS ☕️: Some of y’all have heard me talk about setting aside the 24 hours of Yom Kippur to seek the Lord for a word for the following year. I’ve been doing this since 2009, and every year, faithfully, the Lord shares things with me.

Usually, it’s a list, or multiple messages...perhaps with one overarching theme....several key points to ponder. This year was VERY different.

First of all, I didn’t have 24 hours to simply BE. The kids had stuff going on, Katherine was flying in, Keith needed me...there were things happening within our community that needed attention. At first, I was a bit perturbed about not having enough time to simply BE with the Lord. But as the day progressed, He began to talk to me so clearly and USE what I was doing to teach me.

The ONLY thing I heard for 2022 was FAMILY OVER EVERYTHING. And..of course...in His fashion, he had orchestrated a day to model for me what he was also speaking. “I’m showing you”, He said. THIS. IS. IT.

Family over EVERYTHING. Oh, we can say it or think we even believe it...but do we DEMONSTRATE IT? I did not for a long time. I said it. Even said I was building a home-based biz FOR IT...but my ACTIONS spoke otherwise.

Where we are heading it MUST be family over business, family over ministry, family over volunteer work, family over self. FAMILY. OVER. EVERYTHING.

It’s time to really, really, really understand family and God’s purpose for it. He does EVERYTHING through family. Period. End of story. He’s a family guy. Generational. Legacy. Inheritance. Reliance on each other. Loving those in our midst well and preferring them over ourselves. He LONGS for us to be SET IN PLACE of family. He PROMISES he will set the lonely IN family. In family is where we can begin to safely bloom and grow and become more of who God created us to be. I have much, much, much to say on this...and if this hard week has done anything, it’s underscored FAMILY. The FAMILY OF GOD. It’s His intention for us.