Thursday, April 07, 2011

Family

To many people Church is a building where you go to worship God, at certain times of the year, to do your bit, so you can tick the I've been good today box.

To me Church is something very different. Although I strongly believe that Church on a Sunday is a good place to go praise and worship the living God. I take that part very seriously. I truly believe Church is about so much more.

Church to me is the people, people I love and care about most in the world, (like an extended biological family) its what I want to spend my time being part of, helping and encouraging others to love God and serve Him with the gifts He has given them.

Church to me is not just Sunday, its Monday to Saturday too, which means supporting the Church through the week, spending time with others, going to house group, meeting for coffee, shopping for stuff that is needed, visiting the elderly and sick, the list could go on.

My whole life at the moment is devoted to God, my family and His Church. So when I write FB status about people leaving and my friends don't understand why I'm upset, its because the people in my Church are my family, it feels like I'm losing part of me when they go. Its hard to explain. The Bible says that the Church is a body (among other things) so when your arm falls off you miss it right! Not just in a "oh never mind, my arm has gone" way. In a deep passionate real sense of lose. I know they have not gone far, but it still is not the same. People who I love and respect the most have left and are leaving in the future. These People have been and are an inspiration to me and I don't know if my faith is strong enough to stand without their support.

I know that Christ is my Rock and if everyone else fails and lets me down, I'm still firm on solid ground, but God designed us to live in community and support and love one and other "it is not good for man to be alone". So when the community is breaking down through disagreements and people leaving it is hard to bear.

Now the people leaving are leaving for good reasons, new callings, God choosing them for another part of His plan somewhere else, but it leaves me a little daunted by the change. I fully support them and continue to pray for them in their new adventures.

I love my family and I want it to grow and bring God glory.

I don't think I have explained this very well and its not meant to make my biological family, think I don't love them because I DO VERY MUCH. That's why I am torn so much between Cambridge and here!

3 comments:

Ben Parker said...

Church is about a new family and new community. God is perfect community and he invites us to enjoy that with him and each other as he brings us into his family. It's what he created us for.
Loss, distance, disagreements, breakdowns in relationships all remind us of the disastrous consequences of humanity's rejection of God.
However church is a family. If my sister moved away then I wouldn't forget about her and ignore her but rather we would visit each other, ring each other and continue to enjoy the same family relationship (even though we don't see them as much) just not in the same place.
Life is at times hard but I believe real community is possible and doesn't have to be ruined by geography!

Lorna's Ark said...

I agree geography doesn't have to ruin relationships but the fact is it that sometimes it does. Life just seems to always be hard! (for me anyway, or maybe that's just my perspective!) Maybe I'm a weak, needy person who needs friends and family around me to help me cope with the pressures of life. I love God, I want to see Him glorified and I want the people I love the most to enjoy Him and follow Him because He is the only thing that will satisfy. I try to encourage people to do that so we can all build each other up because I know that's what I need. I'm not meaning to selfish it that, maybe I'm wrong in thinking that other people need support like that and its just me being me!

Ben Parker said...

I wasn't trying to diminish the loss when people move. It is real and like you so ably articulated it should be real. I was just trying to encourage you that it doesn't have to be the end of the relationship.
I, like you, need friends and support around me and hope and pray that I find that in Leeds and you find it in Hartlepool!