Bible Briefs

J O H N   W.   M O O R E CAN THINGS BE BETTER? “It’s just like my heart is being ripped from my chest and then stepped on every time we fight. I’ve never hurt so badly before. How can someone who promised to love me forever say such degrading things to me? I feel so lost, so miserable, so dejected! Our home is broken and it needs to be fixed. I worry about our children, their future, and our future. I so desperately want things to be better. I want to be happy and alive again. I want us to be whole. We need help. I need help. Our family needs help. Can things be better?” Have you ever felt this way about your family or your marriage, or know of someone who has? Occasionally I hear or read about troubled homes, and have compassion for those who are hurting because of conflict. Some situations are quite desperate and differences seem almost irreconcilable. Others, while not at the brink of disaster, merely exist with each family member leading quiet but separate lives, all the while living under the same roof. Still others, while generally satisfied with their marriage and home life, may at times find themselves struggling to make the relationships grow and thrive. Indeed, many are wondering if things can be better. I want you to know that not only can things become better - they can become great when Christ Jesus is in your home. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth entered into the troubled homes of Palestinian Jews who were struggling with the pressures and worries of life. Some were struggling because of illness (Mark 1:29-31), some because of familial conflict (Luke 10:38-42), and others because of sin (Luke 19:1-10). In all three cases Jesus left these homes better than He found them. In the modern world the healing power of the Lord’s Word and the memory of His compassionate life can also leave our homes better than they have been. When Jesus enters a home and its members embrace His life and His teachings, that home will be happier, fuller, finer, complete, and most assuredly better.