The Forever Family You Belong To
Well, hey there, friend, I gotta hush up that ol’ squawkin’ goose over yonder and git to lookin’ right at you wanderin’ up here on this ol’ front porch like a bright lil’ chipper sparrow huntin’ the best perch on a spring mornin’. I surely am glad you decided to come on by here. Pull yourself on up here and git settled real good over yonder in that ol’ porch swing that grumbles like a sleepy lil’ ol’ calf tryin’ to stand up after a long nap. We’re about to stroll through a truth that sho’-nuff’ warms the heart better than a kettle of apple butter simmerin’ slow on the back burner. Hebrews 2:11 says, “Both the one who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are of the same family.” That there verse fits this message tighter than a lid on a jar of fresh blackberry jam.
Now, friend, Scripture tells us somethin’ mighty tender over in Ephesians 2:19, which says, “You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household.” That there plum means your spiritual family ain’t just folks you sit next to on Sunday. It’s every believer who shares the same Father, the same Spirit, and the same eternal home. Your spiritual DNA runs deeper than anything your earthly kin can pass down. It downright shapes your identity, your purpose, and your forever belongin’.
Some folks git to carryin’ heartaches from their biological families. Maybe there is distance, maybe there is confusion, maybe there is hurt that sits real heavy like a rain-soaked feed sack. But, friend, that pain don’t get to have the final say. God places you in a family that’s been knit together by His Spirit, not by circumstance. And Psalm 68:6 says, “God sets the lonely in families.” That there’s the Lord Himself gatherin’ you close, makin’ sure you never stand alone.
Your church family ain’t just a group of people. They’re your brothers and sisters in the truest sense. They’re the ones who pray with you, walk with you, and steady you when life shakes you like a lil’ ol’ rabbit dodgin’ through the briar patch. Invest heartily in those relationships. Tend ‘em real careful like an ol’ gardener tendin’ a patch of tomatoes that he sho’-nuff’ knows will feed the whole table come summer.
Father, thank you for the family you have given me in Christ. Thank you for the brothers and sisters who walk beside me, for the Spirit who binds us together, and for the love that makes us one. Help me cherish this family and grow in grace with them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well, alright now friend, I reckon it is about time for you to carry this here truth right on into the remainin’ parts of your day while makin’ sure that you’re holdin’ it the way a determined lil’ ol’ raccoon guards a shiny trinket it found near the creek. Remember that God’s family downright holds tighter than an ol’ barn door latch that’s been fastened against a storm. Move forward with the steady confidence of an ol’ saddle horse that plum knows exactly which trail leads toward home. And keep your heart open to the folks God has placed around you, friend, because His family is a whole lot warmer than sunrise light spillin’ across a quiet meadow in the early mornin’ light.
With joy,
Gwen
