Closer Together

Closer Together. That’s our prayer.

Unknowingly a few weeks ago as we saw this strange season approaching, my wife and I both started praying the same thing. We started praying that, through it all, we would grow closer together as a family. In times like these when we are all packed into a confined space for long periods of time, it can sometimes get ugly. It would be easy for us to get frustrated, get on each other’s nerves, and social (and physical) distance ourselves in our home. It would be easy for us to hope to just get through it, to just survive, to just not hurt each other either emotionally (or physically!).

But, we’re hoping and praying that over the next several weeks or months things actually go in the other direction. We’re hoping for something bigger. You see, in this new season, here are a few things that are true for us:

We’re eating dinner together every night, and that’s a good thing.

We’re playing more games together as a family, and that’s a good thing.

We’re getting more rest and sleep than we normally get, and that’s a good thing.

We’re helping each other in different areas of life, and that’s a good thing.

We’re having more conversations about things other than school, practices, or the activities that typically take up moist of our time, and that’s a good thing.

All of these “new temporary normals” have the potential to help us a family build a stronger bond and come out on the other side of this crisis closer than we’ve ever been. That’s what we want, and I would guess that’s what you want too.

As you think about what could happen for you and your family in the midst of this incredibly difficult time, take some time to pray that God would us this current situation to actually bring your family together. Ask him to use the time we have to help us treat each other well, love each other deeply, and truly grow closer together.