Sometimes we allow little things to create huge barriers between us. Whether it be in our family, our workplace, or even at church. I heard about a gentleman that had became a Christian who came from a biker gang. He decided to check church out. He came and enjoyed the service and quickly got involved. He signed up for multiple different volunteer projects in different departments. After a few months, he stopped attending altogether. When he was asked why, he said he assumed that church would be like the biker gangs he had once been apart of. He said in those gangs we were like family ready to help, always ready to come to the aid of our brothers. Wow! As a follower of Christ that bothers me because He is by His very nature — love. We do not love the way a biker gang does?
I hope that does not define my life. I think it comes down to small things, what do you choose to focus your attention on… the things we have in common or the things we disagree about. We can have whole hearted debates about things we disagree just like families do but in the end are we a family or not. When Jesus came in touch with people he stopped and found out about them, he asked questions. In fact in the Gospels, he asked over 150 questions about people, places, things. He had a knack for getting people to let their guard down. Some of these people were the polar opposite of who He is. The perfect lamb of God would not hang out with sinners, but He did. Certainly, he would not touch the demon possessed but he did. Oh and a prostitute, yep her too. Why? Because for Jesus the only thing that was necessary was to draw people to himself.
You say Jesus did not think it was necessary for them to change their life? Yes, but He knew the best path for change was relationship instead of will power. The more you fall in love with Jesus the less the little things matter. Put it this way, do you get up every morning and think today I am going to be a good husband or wife and not cheat? Unless you have already been cheating, that is the furthest thing from your mind. Do you get up in the morning and think I am not going to steal anything from work today? Again unless you are already doing that, then it is another no. Why? Because you have a good relationship with your spouse, with your employer, with your friends. When you develop a relationship with God you have no desire to do the things you used to0.
So if you are struggling in your family, work on being together more, having some fun together, go back to the things you did when you first got together. Remind yourself of the reason you fell in love to begin with. Trouble with the kids, maybe it is time for discipline, but it could just be time to go have a play date. What are the necessities? The main one is love and love does not happen in a vacuum. It takes time, time is a necessity.
Amen