Day 15: Formed for God’s Family
Point to Ponder: I was formed for God’s family.
Verse to Remember: Ephesians 1:5a (NLT)
Question to Consider: How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?
Hmmm. Tough one....
I could ignore them all by never calling, never writing, and acting like they don’t exist. That’s how most all of my sibling treat me. Oh… you mean Warren isn’t talking about treating other believers how my real birth family acts??? Well then damn, I’m stumped. I’ve kept myself on the fringe of all of my churches over the year, so I don’t even really know what that looks like from a Christian perspective.
It’s been a while since I read the chapter too. Life happened. My thoughts went other places, but I’ve been thinking about what it means to love other people. Not exactly what Warren was shooting at, but it seemed relevant to me. First, I’m called to love people when most of the time I don’t even like people. Bipolar Girl has people issues. I have spent years getting all emotionally bunched up because I couldn’t “love those who persecute me.” While I believe that is something we are called to do, I think starting closer to home is easier for me. Obsessing over my inability to love the people who are screwing me over has only led to guilt, stress, depression and suicidal thoughts… and by then I just want to be left alone so I don’t even try to love any of the other folks who happen to be in my life at that time
Then, I’m told to “love my neighbor as myself” which sucks for my neighbor given the fact that I am my own worst critic and my own worst enemy. I can’t stand in front of the mirror without saying how fat and ugly I am. I can’t go through a day without focusing on something I’ve screwed up or done wrong….so like I said, treating my neighbor as I treat myself might suck for said neighbor. I tend to wall my neighbor out as well. It’s safer for them and me.
Lately, I’ve been working on letting people in by way of reaching out. I’m usually so wrapped up in life in Bipolar World that I have little time for others. Now that suicide is not the thought behind every thought, I can look at other believers and want to connect. The first thing I need to do is NOT see them like my own family. My og family is hate-filled and dysfunctional and isn’t likely to change just short of an act of God… so treating other believers like my own family is out of the question. I’m taking a few steps out with people here. I may not respond to blogs, but I am emailing people. I take the time to care and to pray and then to let them know that I care and that I pray. I’m taking steps at work to treat my colleagues and my students like members of my family; mostly by making more of an effort to listen, because most people just want to be heard.
The notion of a big family of every believer that ever was, is, and ever will be ever-so-slightly creeps me out. That is just WAY too many people standing around the bubble… but I just said it was creepy. I didn’t say I was going to run from it or resist it. It is one of God’s clearly stated purposes. He thought we were a family LONG before Sister Sledge and their disco anthem. So, even the people within the faith that I may not like are a part of my family… but for now, with my limited social/people skills, I’ve decided to focus on the people that are in my sphere who don’t push my buttons.
