And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:29-30
“If holes were drilled in the walls and floors of the house, all the neighbors could reach out and touch one another, that was how close their lives were, and yet in the end they knew almost nothing about the others. And so the years just went by.” These words were written by Fredrik Backman in his novel My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. The characters in Backman’s story lived in the same building, shared similar experiences and one common friend, the Grandmother, but had little interaction with one another.
I think this is not too different from many of our lives: we live close to each other, share some common experiences and, perhaps, some mutual friendships but we know little about one another. Too often, I think this happens in the church as well. We worship together, maybe attend Bible classes together, share some common experiences and some common friendships but we know little about each other. I don’t think this is what Jesus had in mind when he established His church. He repeatedly uses a family analogy for his disciples and that is the example we see of the 1st century church in Acts.
So how do we get to know each other better? The answer starts with each of us.
Be the one who goes first.
Introduce yourself first.
Help a stranger first.
Say hello first.
Invite someone first.
Life rewards those who initiate, not those who wait for others to do so. And you will “receive many times more in this time”.
