Thursday, February 9, 2012

Two Families United By Blessing

Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. -- Matthew 1:17

Do you ever think about your family history? Do you know your story in relationship to all those who went before you? Were you adopted into a family or were you born of blood?

Most of us have two families. Sometimes, if we’re fortunate, those families are intertwined into one. Other times they’re separate. We have the family we acknowledge here on earth and we have the family we acquired through belief in Jesus Christ.

Some people are really into genealogy and they can tell you the names of ancestors from generations and generations ago. Sometimes I envy them. I’d love to have that kind of knowledge. Maybe someday I will. Or not. It takes a great deal of time to do that sort of thing.

I bet it’s fascinating though. Just in my own family history the little bit I know is amazing. Some of the people who were saints later in life sowed a few wild oats they’d prefer no one remember. In fact, one side of the family prided itself on secrets kept from everyone, including the following generation.

It’s easy to be embarrassed by our pasts. We don’t want to admit mistakes unless we absolutely have to. We’d prefer to forgo the humiliation and judgments from others that we’re certain would come. But maybe we’re only dreaming of something that wouldn’t happen. Most of us have secrets we’d rather not share. Most of us have things we wished we’d never done. Empathy is a good equalizer.

Our family of God gives us further evidence of what God can do with anyone. Rahab, King David’s great-great-grandmother, was a prostitute. David had a man killed because he desired the man’s wife. And that barely touches on the family tree.

What came out of all that stumbling and sin? A Savior. Jesus Christ. God’s Son. All from God’s perfect plan.

Sometimes we get upset that our families aren’t all we think they should be. And sometimes they get upset with us because we’re not who they think we should be either. But out of all of that discord can come a unity, a bond, that glues the unit together for all of eternity.

We’re blessed, those of us who are believers, to be part of God’s family. We were adopted in by the blood of Jesus Christ. And if we’re specially blessed, our earthly family has been adopted into God’s family as well.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

We All Fail Each Other

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. -- Proverbs 12:18

People fail us. Again and again they let us down. They say things that hurt our feelings. They lie to us. They talk bad about us. They shut us out. They ask too much of us. Nobody ever seems to get it just right.

They could say the same about us. Because nobody is perfect and none of us can meet all the needs of anyone, even those we love the most. We disappoint people just as they disappoint us. It’s just how it is.

Sometimes people expect Christians to live above that, to always do and say the right things, to never hurt anyone. That just isn’t realistic. While Christians should reach for a higher standard, we all fail. Expecting anything else is just unrealistic.

A wonderful couple that I know recently stopped attending church. I’m not sure who said what or how it all happened, but they felt let down by some of the people at their church. Rather than working through it, they simply stopped attending. They’re depriving themselves and their children of a wonderful church family because of a few people who didn’t meet their standards.

It would be nice if every other Christian shared our views on everything, especially when we attend the same church. But that just isn’t what happens. We are a diverse group of people. Just look at us. We’re all different ages and races. Some have lived here all their lives. Some have traveled the world and settled here by choice. None of it matters except that it does color our views.

I expect that divide may seem wider as the Presidential election gets nearer. Few things seem to ignite passions as much as politics. Unfortunately, we don’t leave our opinions at the door when we worship God. We alienate people. And that’s a really bad thing.

But is it reason enough to walk away from God? Because that’s what we’re doing when we refuse to attend church. He knows better than any of us how often humans fail Him and each other. The key is to keep trying. To move forward. To listen to God. To pray and to heal each other.

Sometimes the only option is to walk away and change church families. I understand that. Sometimes God calls us to make a change. But sometimes we’re only making excuses by holding people to a standard no one could ever meet.

We are all simply doing the best we can. We fail. And sometimes we fail big. It’s just part of being human and a work in progress for God’s kingdom. So maybe we should give each other a second chance. Maybe we should extend the hand of reconciliation. Maybe we should treat others with the same kindness and forgiveness we’d want them to extend to us.