What an incredibly crazy week it has been.
The important things of life come into focus when you stand in the emergency room and look into the eyes of someone you love dearly and see a look of fear that you’ve never seen in them before; or when you see an elderly man smile through his tears as he sits in ICU recovering from an open heart surgery he probably didn’t think he would make it through; or when you pray with someone who is having cancer removed and they have no idea what the prognosis will be when they wake up in recovery; or when you watch one of your closest friends walk through uncertain waters as he and his wife face a constant barrage of disappointing news but yet remain faithful; or when you are hundreds of miles from family as they navigate very uncertain times and you’re not there to put your arm around them so they can physically feel your love and presence.
Through all of this and more, God has certainly reminded me of a lot of things. He reminded me that throughout the week we have the opportunity and obligation to show the love of Christ to hurting people.
This week I read Romans 12:10, “Love one another with brotherly affection…” As I read that verse I was reminded that Paul was writing to the Christians who were scattered all over Rome and were facing some uncertain days. In the midst of trials, they needed to unite in brotherly love. The old saying, “blood is thicker than water,” came to mind as I was thinking about what brotherly love felt like. I decided to research the old saying and I found that it has changed meanings over the years. Originally it meant, “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Some interpreted it to mean that the loyalty of someone you have fought with in battle is more binding than someone with whom you shared the same womb.
In terms of our Christian relationships, this certainly holds true because of the bond we have through the blood of Jesus. We feel this strong connection when we lock arms in battle or when we display the love of Christ toward someone who is hurting.
I’m so thankful for my biological family who has stuck together through some of the most difficult trials that a family will ever face. I’m equally thankful for a church family who wraps their arms around one another during the most trying times of life. The blood of Jesus is thicker than water and his blood is what binds a church family together. As we do battle against an enemy who is not flesh and blood, remember that he wants to destroy everything loving and good about a church family by making unimportant things our focus so we have less energy and desire to love the way Christ loves.
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins..” 1 Peter 4:8
Pastor Marty