We are family.

"In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."  Ephesians 1:5-6

Family is a beautiful thing. Growing up, there's always competition, arguments, trial, hurt, pranks, and if you grew up with my brother, a whole lot of full moons. But beyond that, it is the first and most central example of the relationship that God created us for. For better or worse, it helps to define for a child what it means to be loved, to be disciplined, to be protected, to be provided for, to be accepted, to be forgiven, to be selfless. And hopefully, with all those things, you start to see that you are created for a purpose that surpasses your own needs and desires. You are created to be in relationship with others, and most of all, your Creator, Father, and Savior. I love that in scripture, family was the means by which blessing was extended to God's people. However, family can also be the single greatest source of pain when it is ransacked and destroyed by the enemy. And so many people struggle through the lack of that critical piece in this world. Growing up, I saw friends all around dealing with loss, pain, abandonment, and apathy in their families.

I also saw my family. SO many of my friends used to say that we had a "perfect" family, but I assure you, as an insider, we were far from it. We were a whole bunch of sinners trying to live in one household. ;) But I also know that there was something beautiful in our household, and that was gracious love. No matter if Rick tried to exorcise demons out of me (yep.), if I threw a remote control at Kris (yep.), if we decided Matty would make a great looking fry-kid in my ballet leotard despite his protests (yep.), if family vacations were a test of patience regularly failed before the car had even been started (yep.), or if Kris set the kitchen on fire with an ill-advised science experiment (yep.), at the end of the day, we loved one another fiercely, and forgiveness and support were close behind.

As I've gotten older, I've realized that our family was an incredibly unique blessing, and I love the opportunities we've had to share it with others. Youth kids, coworkers, friends, strangers, extended family... it'd be hard to list off how many "daughters & sons" my parents have had. Despite our craziness, the At Lee household was one that loves the Lord and seeks to love others through Him. My parents and siblings and their precious spouses have all come to the understanding that they are complete in Christ alone, and have sought to set the foundation of their own households as such.

And now, I'm so excited, because I get to see children brought into our family that are being raised to know and love the Lord and others. Just a month ago, my beautiful sister had her second son, and today, my brother Rick and his family are welcoming into our family my new niece, K. This sweet teenager doesn't know it yet, but she is loved more than words can say, simply because she is adopted as a daughter into this albeit nutty family. We already share an affinity for Nancy Drew books and it'll only grow from there. ;) My prayer is that K and Barrett and Elijah and Jacob and Isaac and Caleb and Rebekah and all the other children that we're blessed with would know that they are first and foremost adopted as sons and daughters of King Jesus, and that as such, they are perfectly known and loved. And that they can continue a legacy of men and women who fiercely love and expectantly and boldly wait for the hope that is, being welcomed into our heavenly Father's household.

:)