Family is a big topic with me. Literally. I come from a family of nine, having six siblings. And to this day, we’re all close. We support one another. We don’t hold any grudges against each other. We want the best for each other. We love to spend time together, and I laugh more when I’m with family than anyone else. They love me for who I am, and I don’t have to put on a facade. When I need support, they are the first people I go to. If I need help, they’ll lay down what they’re doing and pitch in.

For example, on Father’s Day several of us showed up at my dad’s country place to clean up dead branches and trees, pull out nuisance trees, and prune others. The bonfire created probably burned for a couple of days. Everyone worked their tails off. Once completed, we all enjoyed 4-wheeling and grilled burgers. And we took a huge load off of my dad’s shoulders. Could we have spent Father’s Day doing something less taxing? Sure. But I doubt anything else would have been more gratifying.

As a family, we’re not perfect, but we love each other unconditionally and sacrificially.

I guess that’s the ultimate test and importance of family, be it blood-related like mine, blended like most modern-day families, or families comprised of church members, neighbors, friends, or other. Love unconditionally and love sacrificially. Just as Jesus did for us. We all need a support system, people near to us who love us at our most broken and who will be willing to make sacrifices–big or small–for us.

That is family.