families need to grow

As a family we are always growing and changing.  Each year I carefully plan out our daily schedule and it is always changing along with us.  We learn what works and what doesn't.  We learn from our mistakes.  We realize when we spent too much time on one thing and not enough time on another.  We learn what works best through much trial and error.  And at the end of the day, though it didn't go as smoothly as we would've liked, we have a talk about it and we resolve to do better tomorrow.

There are things that are said and almost instantly regretted.  There are attitudes that we wish never plagued us.  There are things that we wish we could have done if only we had enough time...

I live in a house with nine other people, most of them little.  Do you know how often someone is offended or has a hard time agreeing with the other?  I lose count on any given day.  And it's not always the little people's fault!  We are a family.  And families have a lot of growing to do.  God puts us right in the context of our family and he desires for us to grow within that context.  And we grow through all of our struggles to get along.  And we grow through all of our wants not being immediately fulfilled.  Because moment by moment we are getting better at not putting ourselves first and putting others first instead.  It is not easy and it takes effort!  But we are being taught by Jesus and he is working on us!

It's no different with our church families.  Our church families are also growing and changing.  We try new things as we seek to please and serve the Lord.  Some things work well and some things don't.  We look to God's Word and we seek to understand it and obey it.  Sometimes we realize that we are spending too much time focusing on things that don't suit us and not enough time on loving people.  Loving people like Jesus did!  And being busy about living and sharing the gospel.

We have to give each other room to grow.  We have to be tenderhearted, forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven us.  Mercy, grace, faithfulness and love are our lights to shine in this dark world.  We are all imperfect and needing to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I am gladly joining the journey knowing that there will be many bumps in the road.  But by God's grace I will keep holding on.