Family Names

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like sometimes May is kind of the season for family gatherings. Graduations, Mother’s Day, Confirmation, Weddings, Memorial Day Weekend….May just seems to be packed with family time. And, while in our imaginations these family gatherings are always wonderful and perfect, and no one ever is rude, or snippy, or nosey, or loud, or have kids that are misbehaving, or a million other things--- that’s just not reality. While we love our families, each of them are filled with imperfect people, which means that time with them is just that—imperfect.

I came across this verse last week, and while I was familiar with the verses after it, I had never really paid much attention to verses 14 and 15 of this passage. However, I think it is such a great reminder for us as we are in this season of family togetherness. Verse 15 reminds us that EVERY family derives its name from the Father. As we all know, that’s how the majority of names are passed down in the US. You probably have the last name that your dad had, and if you are a male, your kids will have that same name. If you are a female, they will probably have the last name of their dad, which is also likely your name now.

But, this verse is a reminder that regardless of what name we have, or had, or will pass down, whatever the name is, it’s from the ultimate Father. God has a claim on each family, and He desires to be a part of these families in which He has placed us. Not only that, but He wants to demonstrate His love, this love that verse 18 says is “wide and long and high and deep.”

Unfortunately, we know that every Earthly family is not filled with this kind of love. We hope that they are, and we try to do our best to give that love to our families, but by virtue of the jobs that we do, we all have seen kids come from situations that are sadly not “wide and long and high and deep” in love. The hope that these kids have though, is that have a stronger name. A name that comes from the Father. So, even when familial love fails them, and even when we fail to give or receive familial love, we know that there is a bigger love, waiting to embrace us, and to do more than, according to verse 20, we can even ask or imagine.

Let us be the people that spread this love. That remind those in our family, those in other families, and those without families that there is a God who loves them, whose love is perfect, and is bigger than we can comprehend or imagine. Let us, in the biggest and smallest of our actions, give some of that love today.