Where can we go in Scripture to find a model family? Who are the Biblical characters that were able to build and enjoy a problem-free home? We already know that it wasn’t the family of

Adam and Eve. But what about the family of Noah? This patriarch was a just man that obeyed word-for-word the strange command to build an Ark. But what about what happened with his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth?

And what can we say of the family of David, the most loved King of the Old Testament? His family also experienced a disastrous catastrophe. Promiscuity, assassination, division, and hate among brothers are a just few of the plagues that lashed through the home of he who was called “the sweet singer of Israel.”

Without doubt, David, like Noah, and the rest of the characters in the Bible were brave for walking the path of faith and obedience to God. But they also committed errors and battled very hard with family issues, just like the majority of human beings.

So then, why doesn’t there exist in the Bible a single family model that serves as the prototype for all who dream of a home free of imperfections? This question might seem a little strange and maybe even deceptive for us; however, for youth and adolescents who come from highly broken families, this is actually a story that carries a whisper of hope.

“I spoke with people in my church about their family problems. Several youth asked me why their family wasn’t perfect and why God didn’t change their families. At first, I didn’t know how to respond, but then I remembered what we had studied in the group and I was able to give them a word of confidence,” shared Zeydi Guevara, a youth leader in the city of Estelí that participates in the series of trainings for leaders called Mission for Transformation. “I reminded them that even in the Bible, doesn’t appear a single perfect family,” she added.

In the course, “Family Affairs,” we try to give a realistic picture of the tragedy of the human family. Yet we also strive to learn in a compassionate way that brings God near to our family situation, redeeming our history, involving us in his wonderful plans, just as he did with Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. These were women that didn’t necessarily carry a good name, but that, by the grace of God, had converted into the “Grandmothers of Jesus.”

If something good could come out of Nazareth, then it can from your family too! This is one piece of the good news that youth leaders like Zeydi are sharing with the young men and women that have suffered abandonment, instability, pain, and rejection from those who believe they come from a “better family.”

“And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:18