Family is the bedrock of society. Where the family goes, society follows. Therefore we need solid, healthy families, to love, nurture and raise up the healthy society of our future.

Family is also where many of us find our identity. We identify with our family name, family history and family beliefs.

You are a gift to your family, and it is a gift to you. I'm personally immensely blessed to be the husband of my beautiful wife and father to our precious son.

God has intentionally placed you in your family, and you are an integral part of it. Make no mistake, you are here for a reason. You are not an accident, and there is a purpose for your life.

As human beings, we have a very special place within God's creation. The Bible tells us that humanity is made in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26 – 27, NIV). Moreover, God desires that each of us would choose to call Him Father, and to be His children (Luke 11:2, NIV). It is as part of God's family where we find our true identity. Our loving God does not impose his will on us however, but lovingly invites us to freely choose. Not only does God place us within our earthly families, but He wants us to choose to be part of His broader eternal family too.

Simply by faith, by believing what Jesus said he did for us, God gives us the right to become children of God (John 1:12, NIV). Imagine that! To be a child of the Creator of the Universe, is a truly awesome thing.

And what does it all mean? It means truly knowing and being with God, not just now, but for eternity.