Last week I was with my husband’s family for our nephew’s
wedding in Nebraska. It was lovely to be with his siblings, many of our
grandchildren and others of the extended family. Seeing the joy and love of the
bride and groom was a reminder of the love that our Lord has for us as the
Bride of Christ.
As an only child it was, in one sense bittersweet, to see the
relationship re-blossom between my husband and his siblings who hadn’t all been
together for over a decade. On the other hand, because his family has been part
of my life since I was in 9th grade, it was a also a reunion for me.
Psalm 64:5-6 notes that God is “A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His
holy habitation. God settles the lonely in
families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell
in a sun-scorched land.” No matter how scattered, or lost, our birth
families are, God’s family is huge.
We are all part of the Family of God, just as we are members
of our own extended families. It is too easy to forget how much we have in
common when we neglect to keep in contact. Watching my husband pick up the
relationships with his brothers and sisters after not being together for over a
decade brought tears to my eyes. Getting reacquainted with his sister, who was
my maid of honor (so many years ago), was delightful and I was sorry we’d let
so much time pass without sharing more than a Christmas card.
My husband and his siblings had drifted apart simply by not
chatting regularly. Once together, they remembered how much they had in common
and how much history they share. The same is often true in day-to-day
relationships, too. We think we have nothing in common with someone until we
start talking, and then discover that we grew up in the same town, or majored
in the same subject, or even both just like cats.
Just as we need to maintain relationships in our biological
families, we need to keep open the lines of communication between our
neighbors, churches, and even with those we may not agree. I like the meme that
shows up every so often on Facebook. There is a number laying on the ground.
The person on one side sees it as a ‘6’ and the other sees it as a ‘9’. Both
are right, from their perspective. From the outside perspective of the
viewer-both are right. When we disagree, it can help to step outside the
confrontation to try and see the other side, or even better, to see both sides.
God uses us to welcome the lonely and to create a ‘family’
for the fatherless. As the song says “We are the family of God/Yes we are the
family of God/And He's brought us together/To be one in Him/That we might bring
light to the world.”
Let's build relationships, instead of tearing each other apart. Let's find common ground and learn to be civil. Let's build bridges instead of walls. We are one family, after all.
Is there someone you might be able to mend a relationship
with?
Have you been meaning to contact an old friend, but haven’t
because you think too much time has passed?
Can you think of someone you might have
something in common with, even if you don’t know it? 