Ever watch Uncle Jesse, Joey, Danny, Michelle, Stephanie and DJ juggle life, love and happiness on screen, seemingly without a hitch? That was great tv. folks! Back before it was cool to see teenagers engaging in premarital sex. Back before the gay agenda was running rampant in the media. Back when things were a little bit more wholesome in our culture, and even though things were crazy in the world, you could watch a good show to encourage you that life just might get better. What I love most about this sitcom is the strong family bond. They weren’t all blood related (Joey was a friend and I think Jesse was the mom’s brother?) but their love for one another knit them into the strong family unit so many homes lack today. I can appreciate this because I grew up in a very small family. A two parent home where one parent was the mom and the other was the grandma. Two hard working women who were given the task of raising a child, and hopefully, giving her a better opportunity at life than they had themselves. Well, they were successful by far! However, I missed out on that big family experience shows like Full House and Family Matters displayed. There were no siblings, not a lot of cousins, hardly any friends. When I was a kid, we moved out of town and left our family behind. I realize now how vital that move was. It was necessary for me to break away from our previous environment so that I did not succumb to the same issues of life that had entangled the generations before me. And I never felt particularly lonely. I was a pretty quiet child and content with reading a good book and hanging with my grandma who doubled as my best friend. But since I’ve been walking with the Lord, He has restored the years where I did not get that “big family” feel. There are so many people in my life who serve as spiritual parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings…just last night I was blessed to have a couple of overnight guests. Two good friends stayed the night and my roommate and I played hostess. I baked pies, drank wine, and laughed a lot. I shared my bed and woke up to see friendly faces say “good morning”. It was so nice to end my day with others and start it again with them. When you’re single you can feel the sting of loneliness more often if you don’t have a close family unit. But that is not my testimony. Spiritual family has crept in since day 1 of walking with Jesus, particularly in the form of 3 women who would make their way into my heart in a way I never thought possible. God is awesome and gives us the very things we didn’t even know we needed. I look forward to having a full house one day with my own blood family. But because of this life experience, I will always keep my door ajar for others who may not have that of their own. Psalm 68:6 “God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land”.
