The Church - My Other Family

I’m so thankful for people that God has brought into our lives over the years.  Looking back, two families from the past stand out to me.  The first family was there when Tami and I were in our early years of pastoring.  We didn’t know very many people in the little town we pastored in, but they accepted us as their family.  About a year after arriving, our son, who was less than a year old at the time, ended up in the hospital for a week.  This family came to us and said they’d take care of our daughter as long as necessary so we could be with Caleb at the hospital.  Their sacrifice opened the door for us to spend the time we needed with our son during his recovery.  Family—that’s what it’s all about, looking beyond ourselves and doing what we can to help other family members during tough times.

The other family was just as special to us.  Living away from our physical families, our kids did not have grandparents nearby.  This family, who had grown kids and several grandchildren, told our kids that they could call them Grandma and Grandpa.  They treated our kids as special as they treated their own grandchildren.  We went on picnics with them, to the lake with them, celebrated holidays at their house… they were our family.  And the amazing thing is their children did not mind at all but welcomed us with open arms.  To this day we stay in touch because they made such an impact on us. 
 
These families are perfect examples of the family of God, and that is what God wants each one of us to experience.  Look for the family that you can touch in a personal way, because as a part of God’s family they will always, for eternity, be a part of your life!