Saturday, February 17, 2018

Part of the Family

Have you ever just gotten an urge to write something down, to get it out, and put it into words at 12:45 at night when you are about to fall asleep?

I just had to jot down what I was thinking and feeling last night.

It's dark and windy... but underneath the comfort of my flannel sheets I'm warm and secure. Safe. 

Outside my window the night sky displays stars and perhaps planets- a reminder that I know the God of the universe who made all this. It tends to make me a little giddy - inciting feelings of awe. 

After reading a short devotional quoting from Romans 15:7 I ponder how we have been accepted by Christ. Arms wide open. We are all dirty, sinful, broken, and ugly when Jesus called us. But He brings us into His house and makes us beautiful, clean, and pure. 

And we become a part of His household. We become His loved children who He cares for, listens to, teaches, loves.

And this puts service in a new light- if you were welcomed into a house, would you want to remain a guest forever? Just eating food and being served? Or would you eventually want to take part in the family- to serve each other and work together. To take part in the family business and trade. To help maintain the house and keep things running. And to bring others to be part of the family.

I've been welcomed into the family. And I want to take my place- to be loved, to be served, to have joy, and fun, and happiness. But also to do the hard work, to learn the tough lessons, and to be responsible and helpful in the family. 

I'm part of Your family now, Abba. Let me work with You and with my siblings. To work, to rejoice, to struggle, to battle, to live - side by side with You and them.

For in my family that I was born into, I want to do life with them and love them and be a part of what they work for and care about. And it's the same for my adopted family. I've been adopted into God's family- made His daughter. And I want, even if ever so feebly, to be a part of what He cares about. And that's us - you and me. The broken and the lost. He wants all of us to do life with Him in His house. To be a part. And I don't want to miss out on really doing life with Him as my Father. 

So don't let me fall into being a guest. Let me take my place in the house of God and work for what He wants me to work for and to live in the joy of new life in Him. 


"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." - Romans 15:7