I spent last weekend with my family in Mt. Sterling. My wife and I both love spending time with our family for several reasons. First, they are an encouragement to us socially and spiritually. We can talk to my parents about anything without fear of judgment. We can eat, pray, and play with them. We feel valued and loved by just being together. When my parents are busy, we can go over to my cousin’s farm (who feels more like a sister) to visit with her and her children, talk about God, family and life all while feeling heard and valued.

As I reflect on the joy that my wife and I feel every time we visit my parents, I also think how this is just a microcosm of God’s ideal for his heavenly family. He wants us to love one another (1 John 4:7), make sure we are taking care of each other’s needs even to the point of our own self-detriment (3:16). We are to greet one another affectionately (2 Cor 13:12) and to look out for each other’s interests (Phil 2:4). We should regard other Christians as our blood relatives. Whenever he was told that his mother and brothers were looking for him Jesus said, “whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35; NASB).

This means we should constantly be in one another’s lives. It means we should eat together, pray together, and play together. When someone becomes a new Christian, or a brother or sister places membership at Summit, we ought to make them feel like they are a part of a divine family. They ought to be valued and loved just as though they were our own son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, or father. While every family has its fights, Jesus is more important than any dispute and unites us back together only to be closer than ever. It is my prayer that our multi-ethnic family will grow to be what God intended it to be.