Thursday, April 26, 2012

Hebrews 13:1

I sat down to read my Bible a few mornings ago. Coffee, pen and paper, Scripture. 


Hebrews 13 was where I started reading - directed there by another book. I read verse 1 and actually Laughed Out Loud. It would depend on which translation of scripture you read as to whether you might see the humor as clearly as I did. I read TNIV and The Message usually. 


Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Hebrew 13:1. 



Isn't that wonderfully grace-filled? How many brothers and sisters that you know have a squeaky, shiny, perfectly peace-filled relationship? Yeah, I thought so. And do you suppose 2000 years has changed this all that much? Me either. 


I can't even begin to think about how many times I've read 13:1 and pictured all the perfect things about the perfect family that I am constantly measuring myself against. And as a mom how many times I've used this to measure how peaceably my children are living together (and what that means about my success or failure as a mom). 


Families, being the smallest microcosm of community, are ultra-messy. There are far fewer places to hide our sinfulness in a small ranch home. We bicker. We quarrel. We raise voices and stomp away. But the bottom line is that we are still in the small, ranch home. Committed. And going to work it out, even in the mess. 


And this is how the church is to love one another. Not with the shininess of June Cleaver, but the messiness of small-spaced, laundry-littered commitment. Just as brothers and sisters do. 

2 comments:

Jon Swanson said...

nice reflection, Emily. I think you are spot on in the reality of the picture of family.

Lisa said...

Em, this is awesome! So awesomely encouraging!