God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.  (Psalms 68:6)

It is very late, and at the moment I can hear several voices downstairs “telling stories.” There are little bodies snuggled down in sleeping bags and warm blankets in my living room, and another little girl sleeping up here with me, dreaming of the day when she will have stairs in her house.  Although my sister lives way up north (in Yankee territory, poor thing!), and our other family lives not quite so far away in Georgia, I only feel sometimes that we don’t have family here.  The truth is God has done for me exactly as He promised, and has set me in a family—a family that is sometimes more faithful than I could imagine flesh and blood family being.

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.  (Eph 1:5)

Tonight we invited my closest friend and her kids over to watch a movie, since her husband was out of town.  We had dinner and enjoyed time just being together.  When the movie was over, it was still early (anything before midnight is early for us!), so I invited them to stay longer, but my friend was tired.  Her kids, however were eager to stay, so I invited them to stay the night.  As is typical, I believe it was Providence—that God knew she needed the down time tonight, and not having to get six kids home and in bed.  But that wasn’t why I invited them.  I did it ‘cause I just love to be with them.  They’re so like my own kids in many ways—except for I didn’t give birth to them . . . or have to stay up all night nursing them when all six were sick . . . or figure out how to train and educate and feed and clothe all six of them . . . but in all the other ways, they’re like mine!  They are fun, and amazing kids.  I love being around them, and they like being with us.

 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  (1 John 4:15-16)

I was reminded last weekend that the “if” in this verse means something different than “if you choose.”  If we belong to Christ, if we are God’s dearly loved children, if we have the God of love in us, we WILL love His family.  We won’t be able to help it.  If is conditional only in the sense that the love is evidence of the relationship that already exists between us and Christ.  If our bond to Christ is strong, our love for His family will be strong.  It can’t be anything else.  How many times have you heard “blood is thicker than water”?  Well, Christ’s blood is thicker than anything else, and it binds those covered in it in ways they never knew.

 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  (John 13:34-35)

There are times when it is hard to love our brothers and sisters.  They don’t act very loveable.  I think that’s why Christ commanded this.  Just like my boys (who really do love each other) fight like mad dogs trying to prove who is dominant, so too Christians fight sometimes.  But when we truly love Jesus, we will quickly grow tired of our disunity, and seek to love each other.  ‘Cause that’s what family does.

It’s quiet downstairs now.  Four kids lay in the same room sleeping—cousins, not from birth, but from second-birth.  All night tonight they have set aside the differences of having different moms and dads, of being boys or girls, of having last names, and they’ve acted like family, sharing the Playstation and getting each other snacks.  They love each other, I hope because their moms love each other.  My prayer tonight is that all of these kids will have an appetite for spiritual family and for loving Christ’s family as they grow.  I pray it will be as natural for them as adults as it is to breathe.  ‘Cause that’s what family does.  And we’re going to have to do it for an awfully long time . . . .