Thrive in Your Family

Every family has its mess. Some look fine on the outside, but inside the walls there’s distance, silence, or unspoken hurt. Jesus tells a story in Luke 15 about a father with two sons — one who wandered far away, and one who stayed close in proximity but not in heart. Both needed the same thing: to be brought back to the Father’s love.

“My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” – Luke 15:31–32 (NIV)

Here’s the truth: belonging isn’t based on your last name or the picture on your Christmas card. Belonging is found in your first love — your heavenly Father. His embrace is waiting before the explanation. His love covers every distance, every failure, every fracture.

So here’s the challenge this week: stop trying to look like family and start loving like family. Forgive where you’ve held onto hurt. Restore where there’s been distance. Celebrate grace the way your Father celebrates you.

No matter where you’ve been, your place at the table is waiting. Come home to your first love.