What
if you had been born into a different family?
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| Children of the World |
My
daughter has a friend whose Mom is one of the cool ones. For many of her visits
to their house, she only encountered the Mom.
The first time she spent the weekend at Luci’s* house, she met the Stepdad
and found out their life wasn’t as ideal as she first believed. The Dad drank and
treated Luci badly, yelling at her and making life generally hard for her. It
wasn’t that way for the children born of this marriage. Luci finally left home
and went to live with her Dad.
In
my family there were four children, two boys and two girls. The oldest girl
(me), and the oldest boy (Tommy) were not treated like the youngest girl and
boy. According to Momma, they had needs and we didn’t. One had a learning
disability and the other had emotionally triggered asthma attacks. Tommy and I
called ourselves the bad kids although we knew better than to get out of line. We
reasoned the other two must be the good kids because they got all the rewards.
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| All Grown Up Jimmy, Cathy, Tommy, & Peggy |
Tommy
and I wore hand-me-down clothes purchased at the Salvation Army store while the
good kids got new brand name clothes and shoes. The needs of the good kids were
always met at the expense of the bad kids. We were held to a higher standard
academically and socially than the other two. One of the worst parts of this
disparity is that it continued to the next generation. The children of the good
kids were treated preferentially, while the children of the bad kids came in a
distant second. The grandkids noticed.
I
thought all families functioned like ours. I had no other frame of reference. It
was a real shocker when I found out we were dysfunctional, but at the same time
I was relieved. I had always felt like I was the holder of all the puzzle
pieces and if I could just put them together correctly, life would be good. It
took Jesus, my Wonderful Counselor1, and I many years to work
through the yuck of my childhood so that I could be grateful for the hardships
that made me the person I am today.
I
am now part of an amazing, new family. All members are on equal footing, no preferential
treatment given or expected. Everyone looks forward to the same inheritance and
the benefits begin now. The rules are the same for everyone and there are only
two rules to remember2.
My
Dad blesses me every day out of His great bounty, giving me everything I need
to thrive each day. I’m not bragging or elevating myself above you. He does the
same thing for all of His children. The exciting part is that you can be part
of this family too. It’s the family of God. You are accepted just as you are,
no matter what warts or baggage comes with you. Here’s how to gain entry:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you
will be saved.
10
For with the heart one believes and
is justified,
and
with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans
10:9-10 ESV
One
simple prayer opens the door. Say something like this, “God, I want to be part
of your family. I confess that I am a sinner. I believe you sent Jesus to pay
my sin debt. He lives and reigns with you today and I want Him to live in my
heart from now on. Amen.”
| Jesus Stands at the Door and Knocks Will you let Him in? |
It’s that simple. Won’t
you become part of the family today? If you have questions, contact me. I can
introduce you to the best brother you’ll ever have.
Go in peace and spread joy-
Cathy
1 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the
government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Luke 10:27 ESV
2 “You
shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as
yourself.” Luke 10:27 ESV
You have the gift of evangelism. Thank you for exercising it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your encouraging and kind comments. Praying blessings for you and your ministry.
ReplyDeleteWell written and thought provoking. Always good to consider how wonderful it is to be a part of God's family. God bless!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pastor Rodney, for your visit and comments. Both are encouragement for this writer. Blessings on you and your minsitry.
ReplyDeleteCathy, I was also shocked to find out I came from a dysfunctional family. And, like you, I am blessed to be part of the only functional family that ever was - God's family. Thanks so much for this post. Your writing inspires me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debbie! We could moan and groan about where we came from but I have accepted that all the bad stuff as well as the good stuff made me the person I am today. And God worked it all out for my benefit.Blessings!
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