Family

I've heard that the church is supposed to be a family, but that wasn't something that I felt when I was younger. I'm not saying that I was some sort of deprived child, I'm just saying that I didn't get it until recently.

I hadn't noticed it in the moment, but over the past year or so especially, God has been surrounding me with a family.

Knowing that you have people around you that you can rely on for mentorship and advice or a good meal and some fun is an awesome place to be. I'm so glad to finally be at a place where I feel like I'm with family on Sunday morning at church and on Wednesday night at youth group.

So today, I just want to take a minute and say thank you to the people supporting me, the people who came and said hi to me when I needed it, the people who accept me where I'm at, and the people who lend me a hand when I need it.

I'm thinking, though, that just saying thank you to these people isn't enough. I don't mean that now I'm obligated to do something more. Those were freebies. I'm saying that I want to do more. I want to give other people this feeling of family.

Even if it means leaving my group of friends for a minute to go talk to someone who seems to need it. Even if it means taking a few minutes to lend someone a hand. Even if it means saying something nice about someone else at the risk of making myself seem less.

It's not the easiest thing in the world, but it's one thing to be nice to people who are nice to you, it's another to encourage people who haven't had a chance to impress you yet.

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

-Luke 14:12-14