We’ve been praying for years for unity within our home, and we continue to (and shamelessly call on you over and over to present this request to God with us). Unity in love and holiness is the heart of Jesus (John 17). Even the Psalms talk about about how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity…. for there the Lord commands His blessing. (Ps 133). Unity is what we are called to. In the image of the Trinity God, we are distinct individuals, but fashioned to be one in love and purpose.
But as you well know, getting people really united can be a challenge. Especially we living in an individualistic society know that our flesh’s default tends to be grossly self-serving. I do mean gross. It’s hard to bring together adults with the same goal but personal differences; uniting a large and diverse family in an age- and racially-divided, morally-relative, entitled and independent culture is hard. It is a slow work of growth, and one that God does in hearts.
Common goals build unity, and challenging goals make it stronger. This summer our family’s goal is to accomplish 100 hours read, and 100 miles run. (Here’s hoping we keep fit in mind and body!) We’ve signed up for reading programs through the local library and Barnes & Noble. Half of their hours come from a recommended reading list and biographies, and half can be whatever they choose (i.e. Peanuts comics, superheros, Legos, and the Warriors series). The boys are logging 2-3 miles together most days, and look forward to the junior cross country team conditioning that begins next month. We see them sharing the camaraderie of pushing through side-stitch, splashing through every puddle on rainy days, dodging geese when we run near lakes, and finishing the course in the 90-something heat of the day. (They begged me one afternoon around 2:00 to take them right then… and learned for themselves that running in the morning was definitely a better idea). We are still early in the process, but they are already growing in the character that hard team sport develops, and we’re doing it together. It’s a big goal for 10-, 9-, and 7-year-olds, but they are excited to accomplish it (and obviously feel really good after a long run and a chocolate milk recovery drink)! The big prize at the end is a trip to Holiday World, and we’re definitely looking forward to that!
Do you have goals for the summer? How do you incorporate rest, motivation, accomplishment, and celebration in this season?
