I hesitate to write… mostly out of fear. Fear that I won’t make sense or the discoveries the Holy Spirit has revealed are so basic that the readers of this blog may laugh. But there it is, fear standing as a roadblock to vulnerability.
May the words written on this blog bring truth and life, honor to God, encouragement… If what I write is basic than rejoice with me that God is maturing my faith. If it speaks to you, rejoice that the Holy Spirit is moving our hearts in tandem.
This fear reminds me of the sermon a few weekends ago, the fear of judgment. Honestly, the past few weeks have been wrenched in homesickness. Why is it that I miss my family so much? Safety and security. They love me no matter what. My parents and my brothers can’t divorce me… we are bound by blood. But wait, there is another family bound in blood.
Bruce spoke about this a few months ago. Our Christian family is even more permanent, more lasting, … deeper than our nuclear family. For me, that is hard to swallow. I LOVE my birth family. But as a believer, God has adopted me into His family. I believe that God intends that there is no distinction between an adopted child and a birth child. I belong to God! He is my Abba! And other believers around me are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are family. We are united, and bound by the blood of Christ – more powerful than any other blood. The Blood that brings healing and restoration, grace and mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation, laughter and joy… freedom.
As a family member, how am I treating my brothers and sisters? Am I loving them well? Am I respecting and supporting them as I should? Encouraging them, showing grace, being honest and clear?
God is opening my eyes to what it means to be in the family of God, a child of God. I moved to a new house recently. I’m astounded by the generosity, sacrifice and support from those who are not of my birth family, from some who hardly know me. And from so many. Where I come from, we do it ourselves and don’t ask for help. When I’d share with my mom about “so and so helped pack this, then we did that, so and so wrapped picture frames, transported, delivered food, cooked, cleaned, lifted, took the door off, cleaned till the wee hours of the morning,” my mother exclaimed, “Ginger!” Guilt set in. (no sir, devil, get back) “Mom, this is what community and family is all about. This is my family.”
I realized a few Sundays ago a crucial part of why I miss my family so much. It is that safety and security I have with them. A little boy was crying shear terror outside of a service on Sunday. Separated from his mother, he fought a volunteer, tried to climb over the gate, had a fit. His shrieks became louder and louder. My heart went out to his mother. How she must want to run to him.
Why was this boy so distraught?
Because his source of unconditional love - as far as he knows at his age - was gone. His safety and security.
God, I want to cry out to You like that. When was the last time I cried out like that for God- my ultimate safety and security…? Honestly, it’s been awhile.
When God “feels” distant, when circumstances feel lonely, may we cry out to our Abba Father! I’m reminded of the wee girl in the movie The Patriot. Her father never heard her speak until one day as he was going back to battle, she runs after him crying “Papa! Papa! Don’t go! Don’t go!”
What have I run to, clung to instead of my Abba? Instead of calling out Papa!?
Dr. Wayne Cordeiro (pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship) points out that we have to take “it” (every thing) to the Lord -“Sometimes you don’t realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you’ve got.”
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:15-16
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
We are children of God. Brothers, sisters – let us rejoice!
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