Every Family Has a Higher Calling

Every family has a higher calling, a purpose that has brought these individual souls together in this time for very specific (although relatively unknown) reasons.

Whether you live in a family you like or dislike, one of the best things you can do to improve the current situation is look for the higher calling.

While you may not know the whole reason you got a brother who's mean, a sister who lies or a father who's never around, what you do know is this:
1) Every person in your life is a teacher of your life; it's up to you to learn the lesson
2) Family members are human beings too; they're prone to error and your job is not to judge them but to forgive them and accept them for who they are, flaws and all.
3) Any grudges you carry are your burdens, not theirs; while you walk around mad, sad and depressed, the person who "inflicted" you is moving forward. That spells a lose-lose situation for you.
4) Expectations are the quickest way to start a family war. Who told you your sister would be there for you if you lost your house? Who said your mom had to watch your kids? Why is it your brother's job to take care of the house you rented to him knowing he never cleans any space he lives in? See, there's a lot of assumption and expectation that goes into dealing with family. If you'd begin to have no expectations, to give without expecting to get (which means giving ONLY when you have the room to give), you'd save yourself a whole world of hurt.

Remember: the only person you control is you.

5) Forgive does not mean you resume relationships as if nothing happened. Forgiveness is a choice and it's a good one but forgiving doesn't mean you go stupid and forget who you're dealing with. Forgiveness means you give up the right to judge or blame that person for their action and you move on by continuing to do what's right for you, even if that means not having that person be a constant, every day part of your life.

When you know all of this, you are able to look beyond petty circumstances and get to the heart of the matter:

How can we, as a family, lift each other up and,

in doing so, lift up the world?

Your answer might be as simple as:
"Accept each other for who we are."
"Love each other and support each other."
"Create a connection between all of our kids so they grow up with a stronger sense of family than we had."

Whatever the answer, you can only get to it if you leave blame, shame, and guilt behind. This you must do.

So, back to the question:

What is your family's higher calling?