"A Family Like God's" (Part 11)

“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:20-23 NIV).

Today we will look at the sixth principle of in developing a family like God’s: Never let a day end without saying a good word to each other. What a difference a simple word of encouragement makes in the lives of those closest to us! There are so many different ways to accomplish this. It may be something as simple as “I love you,” or as complex as a “teachable moment.” Whatever the circumstances, don’t let a day go by without speaking a positive, affirmative word to your family.

I love the way the wise father in Jesus’ parable responds to his wayward son. After the son say he is no longer worthy to be called his son, the father calls his servants and says, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. What a blessing to give to his son. Not only did he accept his confession, but returns him to full status as a son with a great celebration! Every good word we give to our spouse and children are worthy of such extravagance.

There are five areas that you may use as reminders for speaking positive words into the lives of your family: Acceptance, Affection, Appreciation, Approval and Attention. It looks like a daunting task, but it really is a simple thing to accomplish each. Let me make a few suggestions:

 Acceptance is achieved when you help your family members understand how grateful you are that they are a part of the family. For example, you might say something like, “I am so glad that you are my grandson!”
 Affection is perhaps the easiest to express. It is done through words of endearment and love. I like the way my granddaughter has learned that she can always run straight at me to jump in my arms and know that I will catch her up in a big hug and kiss and say to her, “I love you.”
 Appreciation is the act of expressing your gratitude for both who they are and what they do. It is so easy to take for granted all the little things that we do for one another in our families.
 Approval is the act of finding those things that we can emphasize from the day that are good things that they have accomplished.
 Attention nearly speaks for itself. It is the act of concentrating on what is being said to you from your family members. As simple as that sounds, it is one of the most important things to do. We all need to know we have been heard.

Make a commitment to speak a good word to your family members everyday!