“First Family” by Rich Mullins

My folks they were always the first family to arrive

With seven people jammed into a car that seated five

There was one bathroom to bathe and shave in

Six of us stood in line

And hot water for only three

But we all did just fine

Talk about your miracles

Talk about your faith

My dad he could make things grow

Out of Indiana clay

Mom could make a gourmet meal

Out of just cornbread and beans

And they worked to give faith hands and feet

And somehow gave it wings

I can still hear my dad cussin’

He’s working late out in the barn

The spring planting is coming

And the tractors just won’t run

Mom she’s done the laundry

I can see it waving on the line

Now they’ve stayed together

Through the pain and the strain of those times

Talk about your miracles

Talk about your faith

My dad he could make things grow

Out of Indiana clay

Mom could make a gourmet meal

Out of just cornbread and beans

And they worked to give faith hands and feet

And somehow gave it wings

And now they’ve raised five children

One winter they lost a son

But the pain didn’t leave them crippled

And the scars have made them strong

Never picture perfect

Just a plain man and his wife

Who somehow knew the value

Of hard work, good love, and real life

Talk about your miracles

Talk about your faith

My dad he could make things grow

Out of Indiana clay

Mom could make a gourmet meal

Out of just cornbread and beans

And they worked to give faith hands and feet

And somehow gave it wings

Dear God, I’ll hear people that we should have more biblical family values in America. I’ll hear well-meaning Christians say that they want to minister to other families and help them to be less dysfunctional. One time, I asked a young woman who was wanting to do such a ministry, “Which biblical family do you think we should emulate?” Her parents and grandparents were old family friends and very good people who openly talked about their flaws, so I pointed out to her some of the dysfunction in her own family that was public knowledge. I think the ultimate answer is that it goes one relationship at a time–one relationship with you at a time.

My one family with my wife and children is far from perfect and has its share of dysfunction. A lot of it is my fault, but, of course, I’m not alone. We’ve all made mistakes. And my wife and I loved you, worshipped you, and prayed to you for our marriage and for our kids. But that’s the way it is. Nothing is perfect. No one is perfect. That’s actually a fairly liberating thought.

I recently gave a couple of friends a marriage book called Sacred Marriage. The tag line is, “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” That is the thesis of the whole book, and it really helped me back when we were less than 10 years into our marriage and had young children.

Father, help me to continue to be made into who you are growing me to be through my marriage, my children, and the rest of my family. Be glorified in my life so that I might be your instrument of influence where appropriate and so that I can love richly in every way.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen