family

With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, I’ve been thinking about family. The meaning of “family” has changed significantly in my lifetime. Today the average middle-aged adult has more parents than children. One of the fastest growing trends is couples who choose to be childless (a third of all married adults.) The number of single-person households and blended family households has increased dramatically. Families headed by women stands at an unparalleled 29% of all households. There are now more single adults than there are married adults. There soon will be more step-families than birth families. What I think is important for us in the church to embrace is that we all are adopted into God’s family, whatever the shape of our earthly family.