My Family

I love my family;  my parents are amazing and have stood by me through everything in my life...both happy and sad.  They are my biggest supporters, my biggest contributors...my biggest fans.   They love me completely and unconditionally.  I have an older brother, and even though we weren't always friends growing up, I wouldn't trade him for anything;  he is quiet and strong, loving and gentle.  I love my family, and while they are always just a phone call away when I need someone to talk to, they are not always physically right here when I need them to be.  Don't get me wrong, my parents and brother would (and have) jump on the first flight to be by my side when tragedy strikes;  they are with me always, but God has been teaching me an important lesson about family lately, and I wanted to share it with you. 

Being married to a military man means that your life is always unpredictable.   You learn to cherish the stability you have in the moment;  you learn to jump in the water with both feet because your time there could be over in the blink of an eye, and then you're on to something new.  You learn to make the most out of the time you have together because often it's short, and the days and nights alone are long without good memories to get  you through.  When you're three thousand miles away from your family, and your husband is deployed halfway around the world, life could become overwhelming...if not for something God set in place at the beginning of time...your heavenly family. 

I have thought quite a bit lately about Mark 3: 31-35:

"Then Jesus' mother and brother arrived (at a house where Jesus was speaking).  Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.  A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, 'Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.'

'Who are my mother and brothers?' he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.'"

I've been thinking on that passage because as a military family, our military friends become our family when we are so far away from the homes we know.  We rely on each other, trust each other, and call on each other when we need help. 

I've been thinking about it too because God has brought women into my life this year, other military wives who are wonderful Christian women , and He has showed me my need for them...in a deep way.  In the midst of what has been the hardest year of my life, God placed these women right here and right now for His purpose;  He has given me the family that I needed to walk through this phase of my life with me.  The more I get to know these women, the more I see how much I've been missing out on trying to walk my Christian path alone...we need each other.  While God does give us an earthly family, He also gives us heavenly families, and if we accept the love of our heavenly families, if we see past our differences and learn to trust each other, they can impact us just as much, or more, than our earthly families (good news for those of you who don't have the best biological families!)

As I sat in church this morning, flanked by my two close friends E and H, I couldn't help but to smile broadly.  I even thought of lifting my hands to the Lord because for a moment, as we sang praises together in that sanctuary, I glimpsed heaven.  For a moment, I could imagine the day we enter into His glory, and side by side with my heavenly family, we sing praises to Him. 

E calls H and I her "sharpeners".  I love it.  She's referring to Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."  Do you have "sharpeners" in your life?  I hope so.  If not, find them;  ask God to surround you with brothers and sisters who do His will.  They are your family, and you were meant to live in community with them. 

I thank God for my brothers and sisters here in CA;  God knew that this year, more than any other, I would need to be "sharpened".

Maybe it's time to check who you surround yourself with;  who are your mothers and brothers?  There's no doubt that Jesus loved his earthly family, but He saw the bigger picture:  some day all of this will pass away...everything we know on this earth...houses, possessions, earthly relationships...everything here is temporary.  What is eternal is whether we choose God or deny God...period. 

Jesus came to "seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10);  He taught His disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19)  That's still our job, you know?  To teach each other about Jesus, about what He commanded, and about His free gift of salvation.  He gave us each other, as Christians, to be accountable and to "sharpen" each other as we do His work here on earth. 

Find your "sharpeners";  get involved with a small group, and start meeting with like minded brothers and sisters who will hold you up, and push you forward.  They are your heavenly family.  Your earthly family may or may not know Christ, they may or may not be a part of your heavenly family...love them, but realize they are just a part of God's bigger picture of who your family is.  Look around and see if you glimpse a part of Him in someone He has placed in your life;  if so, open your arms and embrace your brother or sister.  Sharpen each other as you do His work, understanding that when the world passes away, together you will be singing praises to God for eternity.