‘Be committed’: Bo Sanchez shares secret to a fantastic family life

We’ve all probably experienced it at one time or another – that longing for a fantastic family life. One where our relationships within the family are strong and deep. One where our family members are not only happy, but healthy, wealthy, and – in the case of many people who believe in God (like me!) – holy, too.

But is a life like this even possible? And how does one even begin to have something like that?

The answer to the first question: Yes.

The answer to the second: Take the first step.

And what is that first step?

Be committed.

Commitment - it’s something that is lacking in many people’s lives these days. Spouses forget their commitment to each other and end up being separated. Parents forget their commitment to their children and end up abusing or even abandoning them. Children forget their commitment to their parents as they grow old, and end up neglecting or abandoning them. And so on and so forth.

If you stop and think about it though, one could say that being committed isn’t just the secret to having a fantastic family life, but having a fantastic life in general.

One of my mentors, Catholic lay preacher Bo Sanchez, wrote about commitment once on his blog: “Commitment is the magic sauce of all success. It’s the secret ingredient. There can be no success without commitment.”

Bo Sanchez encourages everyone to learn about being committed – and how God is committed to each of us – at this year’s Kerygma Conference. Photo courtesy of KerygmaConference.com

Kuya Bo went on to define what commitment means to him: “Commitment is doing the hard stuff… If you want to succeed, you’ve got to do the hard stuff.”

Of course, as a Catholic Christian, he also believes that God is the ultimate source of our success. “Without God, we won’t succeed. But from experience, God’s power works through our commitment,” he wrote.

I believe this, too.

In fact, I believe that if people would just be more faithful and be committed to God and to one another, the world would be a happier, more peaceful place.

But since I can’t force people around me to be so, I will focus on the only person who I can help to be more committed: myself.

I will take Kuya Bo’s advice to heart:

“Do you want a fantastic family? You need to be committed to spending time together. You need to be committed to communicating from the heart, expressing love in practical ways, and forgiving each other.”

Bearing this in mind then, here are a few things I commit to do to have a fantastic family life:

1. Live out Matthew 6:33.

My life verse, taken from Matthew 6:33, goes like this:

“…seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.”

Here’s an episode from “Preacher in Blue Jeans” where I was able to share a bit about what Matthew 6:33 means for me:

If I want to have a fantastic family life, I need to remember to put God first above everything else. After all, He is the one who gave us our families in the first place.

Matthew 6:33 is a beautiful verse to live by. Photo courtesy of TrulyRichandBlessed.com

Growing in our relationship with Him will help us to have better relationships with our family members. This applies not just to people like me, who are parents with kids, but to everyone: singles, youth, and even kids. Seek God first, and everything else will follow.

2. Personify 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.

This is something that I learned when I was still single but, admittedly, have trouble doing until today – to personify the well-known Bible passage about love:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

To personify it, I must remember to practice all that love is:

“I am patient, I am kind. I am not jealous, I am not pompous, I am not inflated, I am not rude, I do not seek my own interests, I am not quick-tempered, I do not brood over injury, I do not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoice with the truth. I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.”

3. Attend events that will help me be more committed to God and my family.

One such event is the upcoming Kerygma Conference or KCON, set to take place from Nov. 23 to 26, 2017 at the SMX Convention Center and SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Kerygma Conference is an event that can help you learn how to have a fantastic life.

In Kuya Bo’s invitation to the Conference (which you can read in full here), he writes:

 “Kerygma Conference reminds us that Jesus is everywhere. He is in your life — He is in your relationships, He is in your work. He is in your ministry. He is in your finances. He is in your businesses. He is in your dreams and goals.

Jesus is committed to prosper you in the different seasons that you are in. And He will never stop until He brings to completion the promise of greatness in your life.”

Events like the KCON always remind me about the importance of living out Matthew 6:33 and personifying 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. It is also a venue to learn about how we can be better in the other aspects of our lives.

Ultimately, of course, if we want to have a fantastic family life, we need to go back again to that first step which I mentioned earlier: Be committed. Make a decision; a commitment to growing in love, patience and kindness. And above all else, ask God to help and guide you. He will definitely see you through.

Do you want to get more tips for living a fantastic life? Please feel free to visit my website or check out my YouTube channel. You can also e-mail me at trulyrichandblessed@gmail.com.