The Love of a Family

As I have been struggling with this need for living in true community, I heard an interesting thought from my
coach, Heidi. She was telling a story about how different gifts can seem at odds with each other, even when both
are functioning as God desires. A person needed money to stay in an overpriced apartment, and was lamenting
that fact. The grace and mercy gifts wanted to love and offer support while the prophetic and administrative type
gifts wanted the person to face facts and get a cheaper apartment. This would seem to cause friction in the family.
The prophetic was seeing something that the others weren’t. . .maybe the person was lazy and didn’t want to
do the work to live according to their means. A plan was devised where the group offered to help pay rent if the
person did some work, and found a cheaper apartment. What a great deal! In the end, they didn’t want to do the
work of finding a new apartment, so they lost out on an even bigger show of support.
As we talked, we discussed how there is so much division and backbiting among people, even those who proclaim
to love Christ. Why can’t we understand that different parts of the body (family) are incredibly different
from us (even in annoying ways) yet they are family. We would not be able to experience the fullness of Christ
without them. Let me say that again, people who’s gifts rub us the wrong way are helping us experience the fullness
of Christ. This has two implications that I’d like to think about. First, do we distance ourselves from God
when we try and avoid certain people? Are we trying to live just with our own gifts and thinking we are enough
for us? I grew up with a brother and sister, and they both got on my nerves enough over the years, but I wouldn’t
be who I am without them. Do we honestly feel this way about the brothers and sisters we have in Christ.
The second point is this, as an American we are incredibly individualistic and we think we can do it alone. We
even teach personal prayer time and devotions. We ask how your relationship
is with Christ, as though that can be distinguished from how your relationships
are with your brothers and sisters, who are the body! I have nothing against
personal devotion times, I think they are necessary and provide a certain
amount of life. I just wonder if we have forgotten just how important the rest
of the family is to our own development. I will only experience Christ to the
fullest when I experience Him in community. I’m still processing this concept,
but even as I place such emphasis on it, I still have a nagging feeling that
I don’t understand the entire gravity of it. Do you?