[re]Introducing Us

⁣Family is a collective of individuals that carry unique qualities, experiences, desires and flaws. If an individual is known separately, you’d miss out on what the others accentuate; shining a willful light of a favored admiration. If only a single flaw is known, you’d forego knowing the tales of tethered life that’s steeped in freedom and redemption. If one encounter is admired or scrutinized, you’ll never understand living within the fullness of celebration, knowing the passion derived from grief or the power of reconciliation. ⁣An individual cannot reveal the grand landscape like the collection can.

⁣

Individuals come from a heritage that’s filled with stories that range from failure to love. The very movies and/or stories that grip us emotionally are created on the backdrop of pain and frailty, simply because our hearts identify and empathize. Outside of that darkened theater, we’re masked pretenders of the, “all is well, no mess to see here”, club. Early on we invite our offspring to pay the dues by forcing an agenda of behavior modification, often times using God’s acceptance as the bait. This does nothing more than stain that pristine family portrait that graces the living room wall, becoming a symbol of the scales that no one will ever measure up to.

⁣

If you have the honor of a, “wild card”, as someone so eloquently labeled one of mine, learn who they are outside of the demands of your ego. You might find them likened to a favorite book, movie or tv character; funny what goes for entertainment is banned from family life, or at the very least punished and modified.⁣ Our families are so colorful and varied in the best of ways; wild card or wall flower, choosing to unmask to relate is promising.

Family is worthy of never having to question their sense of belonging or being known and loved. Perhaps you need to hit refresh on the focus of your family, laying hold of your innate ability to change your mind and mine for gold. Or maybe you’d like others to hit the refresh button on what they think they know of your tribe.

Friend, I will!

I have no desire to hold you or any of yours hostage to anything outside of God’s declared, “It is good!”, on that sixth day. Know that I hold you and yours in lofty esteem and will work to know you and offer a sincere sense of belonging. I know wounds hurt and most are caused by words. Trust me, I’ve been there. “No one likes your family”, those painful words and the like have surfaced again and again, as if my family has been reduced to target practice. Offense will render undesirable decisions for all involved; whether we’re good or bad, makes little difference with love as the command. Love is key! Staying in that lofty space takes practice.

Let’s zero in on practicing love: allowing yourself to get it wrong offers room to grow in forgiveness and connection. That’s so important, especially for our children to witness. Our willingness to consider it practice removes the high-stakes pressure our school aged kids experience today.

Beyond the make-up of what we consider family, we can extend to our Spiritual family. Let’s drop holier pretense and love one another deeply, offering hope and encouragement, losing sight of judgement. But alas, if you must judge, judge one another innocent. Christ did.

Collectively, let’s introduce one another in the brightest light we have access to.