“I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” 
—Genesis 12:3

These days, we have single–mom families, blended families, foster–care families, families who adopt, and even traditional, mother–father families. But think about this: none of us gets to choose which family we’re born into. The design of each family is God’s prerogative alone. He has reserved the right to conceive us and to give us to our families. Now, I know for many of you this may not feel like good news; you may even question God’s family choice for you. Dysfunction, hurt, and confusion may have been a major part of your family story. But be encouraged; you can trust God and have faith in His plan for your family. No matter what mother, father, or family you had or have, it has been God’s desire from the very beginning for all families to be blessed—that includes yours.

In the Book of Genesis, God told Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Did you catch what God said? He said, “All families of the earth” will be blessed in Abraham! Abraham had plenty of dysfunction in his family. Remember Lot (Genesis 11—14, 19)? But Abraham’s family issues didn’t keep him from attaining the promise. That means there’s hope for us. As believers, God’s promise in Genesis means we can have faith that God wants our families to be blessed.

Have faith in family once again. Trust and know God will bless those who bless you and your family. He will curse those who curse you and your family. Live by His promise every day and God will work in spite of the dysfunction, the hurt, and the confusion. He will replace the pain with tremendous blessing. It’s His promise to you.

What do you believe is the biggest blessing in your family?

Excerpted from the Sisters in Faith Holy Bible.