As a 17-year old, my family is of the utmost importance to me. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, my parents provide for my material needs. On hindsight, I realise this is also one of the many ways they show their love to me. With their help in this area, I am able to focus on other issues such as studies and relationships.Beyond that, they also provide me with many other things I am not able to find anywhere else, like love, courage, shelter, warmth, and a whole host of other emotional needs.

I am grateful that God has provided me with a loving earthly family. My parents’ unconditional love for me has given me a little taste of what God’s love is like. By upholding justice in the household, they have also taught me about the God we serve. The things they have done are more than these, they are countless! I am just thankful that God has let me feel His love through my family.Furthermore, He has taught me how He wants me to live life through my family.

Upon receiving such love and values from my parents, I have learnt to love and pass on these values to my younger sister and my friends. I have also learnt to love myself, understanding that I am my parents’ child whom they love. Most importantly, I have learnt that I am God’s creation whom He loves; I cherish life because of my family. Likewise, my family in Christ is just as important. I have received and learnt so much at my church. My church has provided me with support to face the world, grounding me in values Christ has given the church, so that I may be on the right path. With a bigger community beyond my immediate family, I am exposed to more testimonies and have been given greater opportunities to serve; this has definitely strengthened my relationship with Christ.

Most importantly, my family in Christ is a support to my earthly family. Christ’s household is also the only source of emotional help and support for many youths whose earthly family is not there for them. Having listened to my friends share about their tough experiences of going through growing pains without their family standing by them, I can testify to the importance of family to youths like us. To sum up, family is so important to us because it is where we can find the support, encouragement and help we need so badly, especially in our growing-up years. Family is also important because it is where we learn to live as Christ taught us, even as we get closer to maturing into an independent adult. Family is important because it is love.

Rachel Ng serves as a youth leader in Changi Methodist Church.