Sunday, July 4, 2010

Show God's Love

"He and all his family were devout and God-fearing, he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." -- Acts 10:2

Today is Independence Day. Lots of talk about freedom and loving our soldiers. All appropriate for a special day. But July Fourth means something different for me, something super special. As I grew up, it was the day of the Miller Reunion. A day of family -- love, laughter, children playing, youngsters fishing and the elders watching over it all. There were 13 Miller children. They've all gone home now and we no longer gather as a family. I miss it.

God truly blessed me by placing me in a family filled with strong Christians. My Grandmother was a founding member of St. Luke. She, my cousin and a number of others voluntarily left First Methodist and formed a new church when leaders decided there was a need. She didn't miss church as long as she was able to attend. She played hymms on that old piano in her front room. It was awesome!

My Aunt Murl was active at Mt. Pleasant, which was near the family homeplace. Her daughter has often laughed that if the church doors were open, they were there. Aunt Murl believed in church attendance. She also believed in prayer. In later years, her declining health forced her into the nursing home. She refused to watch television. When someone would question her, she would turn the question back to them. Why, she would ask, would she waste time watching television when she could spend that time in prayer.

Aunt Murl believed in the power of prayer. So do I. That faith is a rock now as I pray for another cousin who is facing uterine cancer. Aunt Murl could have given me a lot of things. Instead, she gave me herself. When my Grandmother died, Aunt Murl stepped in to fill the void. She showered me with love and taught me -- by example and words -- how to cling tightly to Jesus and the Holy Word.

I could go on and on about different family members and what they and their faith have meant to me. It keeps me close to them, focused on the day when we'll be reunited and walk the streets of gold together. I am grateful to them.

You might think my parents, brother and I attended church faithfully during my childhood. You would be wrong. I have a few memories of church from when I was small. After that, nothing. I started attending church on my own in college. Then I drifted away only to return. My parents, too, have returned. But I know that I might not be in this place had it not been for the love and example of my family, those extended relatives who cared enough to show a needy child that Jesus Christ is alive and working in our world today.

Sometimes we may not know how our actions are impacting those around us. We may think that our efforts are in vain. They aren't. Every time we reach out to someone else, we show them Christ's love. It is something they can and will feel, whether they understand it or not at that time. Keep it up. You never know. One day that person might be walking next to you along streets of gold.