A few weeks ago, there was a youth group movie night. At the movie night, we watched the movie “When the Game Stands Tall.” There was a quote from the coach which really stood out to me about family. The coach told one of his players who had just lost nearly everyone in his blood family this: “Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what.”
Together as a Family in Christ, we are blood relatives, but not in the normal sense. We are united through the blood of Christ, and we need to act towards each other as this quote says. We need to be there for each other as our brothers and sisters need us. When another brother or sister is down, we need to help them stand back up and to get back on the path which they need to be on. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” A duty for us, Christians, is to be encouraging and to build each other up as this verse has said.
One of the things included in being a family, is working to help each other and being there for each other. When we do this, we fall as they fall. When a brother or sister is hurting, we hurt too. But that should not stop us from trying to help them. That quote from the movie says, “the ones who would do anything to see you smile,” 1 Corinthians 12:26 and Romans 12:15 explain this thought very well, 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” Paul also writes in Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
When someone in our family is honored, we all rejoice together, for we are happy for their accomplishments e.g. Anniversaries, Retirements, Promotions, etc. But, when someone is mourning or suffering maybe at the loss of a brother or sister, we should also mourn with them. Families are there for each other, no matter what. No matter the circumstances, we need to be there for each other. Acting in this way, will help to strengthen our bonds with each other and will make our Christian Family stronger. Often times after worship services, we gravitate towards people that we always talk to, close family friends. But I want to encourage us all this Sunday to go up to somebody we don’t know so well, and talk to them. Maybe, just maybe, we will find something cool or new about that person that you never knew before.
In our Family at Manassas, there are a lot of interesting people; there are many things that I wouldn’t have even thought about finding in our congregation. But we will never find out those things, unless we go out of our comfort zone and talk to new people. The more that we talk to new people and make new friends, the stronger our Family in Christ will become.
