A MAN WITHOUT A FAMILY
He epitomized the essence of negativity. After leaving my car at a dealership for repair, their shuttle driver transported me to my office. Our conversation consisted of his litany complaints of all that was wrong with our world. Any effort to turn the discussion in a positive direction failed to make a crack in his rock-hard shell of doom and gloom.
Then I learned his secret. He had no family. He was an only child, unmarried, with no children. His mother had been an only child, as well as his father. His grandparents died before he was born. He had no spouse, children, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins. He was literally a man without a family. I suspect this may have contributed to his dire outlook on life. No grandparents or aunts, to dote on him. No cousins to play with. No siblings to annoy. Life dealt him a hand devoid of face cards. But he was surrounded—like all of us—with unlimited opportunities to seek community.
Because God designed us to live in community, he created a spiritual community called “the church.” Hebrews 10:24 tells us to “think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (NLT). What a great way to live! So how do we do this? The next verse explains, “let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do.” Something special occurs when we encounter God’s people face-to-face. After Paul’s shipwreck en route to Rome, a group of believers met him as he entered the city. Acts 28:15 states, “When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.” Even in the face of imprisonment and possible death, their presence encouraged him.
This truth has carried me through the past fifteen months since Linda’s diagnosis. The outpouring of love from family and church has been lifesaving. I’ll never forget our Hispanic church forming a line in our parking lot and hugging me one-by-one as I exited my car the first Sunday after her death. I’m still stirred to tears when I recall it.
“But I’ve been hurt by the church.” Of course you have! The church is a rock polisher. We bump against each other, knocking off our rough edges. She’s flawed, because we’re all flawed. Yet the church remains the ultimate expression of God’s wisdom —the quintessential community (Ephesians 3:10). That’s why no one ever needs to be without a family.
Principle: No one ever needs to be without a family.
Ponder:
When have you found encouragement from being part of a church?
Have you ever been hurt by a church? How did you respond?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Ephesians 3:10-13.
Lord Jesus, thank you for your church, which is the expression of your body and family on earth. Help me to seek out a deeper level of community, and not allow myself to be offended by, or offend, the other flawed members of my spiritual family.