Is there any area in your family that needs healing or anything that has been lost that you have prayed the Lord will restore? The following article pertains the issue of communication, a problem that many families face today.

God's Word is powerful and life changing, but we must receive it by faith and apply it to the situations we face. Scripture says God's Word runs swiftly, so begin today applying these principles into your situation and expect to see changes happen quickly.


New Life
It is now spring time, the time of year when everything is bursting with new life. I love this time of year because everywhere you look there is something new. As I look over the hillside the grass is green and the trees are budding. And I especially love the yellow dandelions, the first flowers that dare to pop their little heads up out of the cold ground.

God says, "Behold, (look) I make all things new again" Rev 21:5. And He does just that in the springtime all things on the outside are being made new and coming to life. But this can apply to all things on the inside as well, there where you live inside your home.

The atmosphere in your home is either bursting with new life, new thoughts, new songs, and new ideas or the atmosphere is cold and frozen like a chilly winter day. A home full of love creates an atmosphere where everyone can share their heart and communication is easy because no one is guarded and worried about what to say.

But communication does not flow freely in a home where everyone is guarded and afraid to talk. If your home is cold without a lot of life, would you like to know how the atmosphere can change? Would you like for your home to come to life and communication to flow?

The following is a simple principle that if it is applied can begin to change the atmosphere in your home. But first remember a principle must be embraced and continued over a period of time for lasting change.

New Ideas
"Behold, I make all things new!" God is always at work making things new, but we must open our eyes and ears to receive these new things. New things first begin with a new idea. A home where everyone is able to share who they are without condemnation is the right environment where new life and new ideas can spring forth.

• New ideas are like those springtime flowers, you should be excited to see them.
• New ideas are also to be listened to and enjoyed. That doesn't mean you have to do anything with the idea just as you do not need to pick every dandelion in the back yard. You just enjoy them.
• New ideas can be the vehicle that loosens up a ridged family just like flowers bring life to a garden.
• Embracing new ideas can be the first time a husband hears his wife's heart and enters into her world.
• Embracing a new idea may be the first time a child is validated and feels like something he says is important.
• Embracing a new idea can break the cycle of frozen emotions in a family. It takes emotional interaction to embrace an idea.
• Embracing a new idea can also break the control that one person has over the entire family.
• Embracing new ideas bring excitement into the family life so that home is a safe place to try new things.

Try letting everyone in the family share their new ideas. Think about it, the need for something new is in all of us, but we try to fulfill that need in very expensive ways like new furniture, a new house, or even a new car. It is just the thrill of something new. A new idea can be heard and enjoyed by everyone and in many cases it will not cost anything. Like a new idea of how to arrange the furniture or an idea of how to spend a Saturday together as a family. By simply learning how to encourage each one to feel free to share their ideas, a home that was once cold with frozen emotions can become a home of warmth with joy and laughter. Just try it! God says, "I will make all things new."

Is there any area in your family that needs healing or anything that has been lost that needs to be restored? Trust is another major area that many families struggle with.

I am talking about Basic trust which is the ability to hold your heart open to others and risk being who you really are. This creates a problem in many families when a wife tries to be who her husband wants her to be instead of being who God created her to be. Or a husband is trying to be who others want him to be instead of who he really is.

The foundation of who you are is built into you as a child and the ability to share who you are with others is practiced over time. If you feel like you can't be yourself then you have not yet attained basic trust. Many people enter into marriage without a clue of who they are or who they are marrying.
When you have basic trust you will have an inner strength that allows you to reach out and connect with others on a relational level. Communication will be easier because you will be able to hold your heart open to others and risk being real.
A foundation of basic trust is built into children who grow up in a home where unconditional love is given. Then all relationships can be built from this firm foundation. Without the ability to trust a relationship will crumble. When this firm foundation is built in a family each person in the family will have strength and the capacity to meet with another's heart and communicate openly.

Written by Denise Boggs