SPECIAL FAMILY

Isn’t it beautiful how people come into our lives and become ‘family’ to us? And isn’t it true we might not know the ripple effect of our interactions with people—how God will use them? It was something that struck me last week while attending a wake, prayer service, and funeral for a sweet 90-year-old  lady I had the privilege of visiting every month or so for the last three years.

One of the definitions for the word ‘family’ per Merriam-Webster.com that I believe is quite fitting is “a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation: fellowship.”

 

I first came to know one of this lady’s sons from my local church when I awkwardly went up to him, a stranger, and shared a book of mine back in 2021. Much to my surprise, a day later he took time to email me and share about the Holy Spirit in his life. That was the beginning of spiritual conversations for about six months before he became ill and died a little over a year after that first encounter.

I attended his funeral, which was a few hours away where his mom lived. At the luncheon after, I went over to her, whom I had never met, introduced myself, and shared a book of mine too. She wanted to keep in touch and learn about the conversations her son and I had. That began our treasured friendship and visits.

 

What a perfect picture of my sweet friend celebrating this milestone a few months ago… such joy and peace radiating from that smile!

 

How grateful I am for the last visit that I had with her—the day before Mother’s Day and about two weeks before she died. We enjoyed a meal and, as always, enjoyed laughter and engaging conversation. I stopped at the cemetery where her son is buried on my way home. I thought it quite fitting that three birds appeared in the sky, disappeared for a few minutes, and appeared once more before I left. It reminded me of the Trinity.

Through my visits, I have also had the privilege of meeting her other two sons along with her oldest granddaughter. I was honored that they invited me to join the family prayer service at the funeral home before going to the church. Driving in the funeral procession, which was a first for me, made me think about being invited to process with Jesus on His way to Calvary. Do we accept the invitation to be part of the biggest ‘family’ of all time—God’s family?

 

Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.  –John 19:16-18  (NLT)

Have you envisioned walking with Jesus to the cross? He made that long, hard walk for you and me! Can you help Him carry the cross like Simon did? Do you let Jesus carry your crosses?

 

Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.  –Ephesians 2:18-20  (NLT)

What a blessing it is when we come to accept the invitation to be part of God’s family. We are united with Jesus and the Holy Spirit because of His sacrifice. We become part of the greatest ‘family’ in all of history!

 

Photo courtesy of Chronic Joy® under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)

 

Be encouraged this week to…

… reflect on the different families you are a part of.

… journey with Jesus to Calvary.

… be full of gratitude for being part of the most important family—God’s family.

 

REFLECTION:

What unexpected ‘family’ has God orchestrated in your life?
How have you helped Jesus carry His cross?

 

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  –1 Peter 4:8-10  (NIV)