How precious is this prayer, rising as incense before the throne, and how it finds its answer in the very nature of our God. You plead for unity and love within the walls of your own household, and you plead well, for these are the sweet bonds that testify of Christ’s presence. Yet, to walk in forgiveness, humility, patience, and kindness, this is not the fruit of a mere resolution, but the overflow of a heart that has first been filled with the love of God. I would have you see that the forgiveness you must extend to one another is but the stream that flows from the fountain of His forgiveness toward you. It is a divine forgiveness, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions", and it is a surprising forgiveness, so complete that it leaves no debt unpaid. When you are tempted to hold a grievance within your family, remember this: there is forgiveness with Him, that He may be feared, and that fear is not a slavish terror but a loving reverence that makes you cling to Him and, in turn, release your hold on every injury done against you. Let this whisper drive away despair: "There is forgiveness." Now, at this moment, for the chief of sinners and for the daily offender, there is forgiveness with God. And if He has so forgiven you, how can your heart remain iron-bound toward your own flesh and blood?
But I would press you further. The love of God, that marvelous loving kindness which you seek to reflect, must be the very atmosphere your family breathes. It is a love that abounds, that laments when it is slighted, and that abides through every provocation. When patience wears thin within your home, look to the patience of Christ, who bears with you still, who drew you with cords of love when you tugged against them, and who possesses His own soul in patience even now. Enter into that patience, and let it direct your steps as you bear with one another’s weaknesses. And then there is humility, that lowly grace which is the rarest of adornments. You cannot serve the Lord aright in your family without serving with all humility of mind, humility before the act, during the trial, and when all is done. Pride will murmur, "I have been wronged," but humility looks to the cross and whispers, "I have nothing to pay, yet I am forgiven all." Let this mind be in you, and you will find that the hardest word of reconciliation is spoken with ease, and the coldest silence is broken by the warmth of genuine love.
Carry this truth into your daily walk: the forgiveness you have received is eternal, and the love you are bidden to show is but the spark of the eternal flame. Do you long to see your family bound together in Christ? Then let love and forgiveness hold the chief seats at your table. Perform acts of kindness that look for no return, serve one another with a holy generosity, and let your mutual patience be a living sermon to all who observe. When offenses come, and they will come, meet them with a forgiveness so full that it mirrors the divine, a love so constant that it can only have been born from above. Remember, the proper study of a Christian’s life is the love of God; and as you grow in that knowledge, your family will become a garden where the fruits of the Spirit flourish. May every member be directed into the love of God and the patience of the Savior, and may your household be a Beulah Land of peace, where the voice of thanksgiving is heard and the bond of charity is unbroken. Go now, and prove in your own home that there is forgiveness with Him, and therefore, there must be forgiveness with you.
