Focus Word: Community
My Daddy wrote about his family while in a rehabilitation program. (Alcoholism wrecked his life, unfortunately.) Part of what he wrote was shared at my grandmother’s funeral this summer. In short, to have a family means this: “If it happens to you, it matters to me.”
Life can be hard and heavy. The past few weeks have given all of us pause to consider what freedom truly means, what things in life are worth dying for, what meaning and purpose our lives are serving. I could only keep thinking the words of King Solomon, arguably the wisest man in the world at his time, when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” I previously found that verse a little depressing. After all, novelty releases dopamine–new things bring joy, adventure, and connection. But in this season of life, I find the idea more comforting. Nothing surprises God; not one single thing under the sun can catch Him off guard. He created it all, knows it all, sees it all.
Political assassinations are not new. Discrimination, hatred, and cruelty are not new. Kindness, compassion, and reasonable dialogue are not new. In fact, despite all of our gains in science, technology, medicine, and more, human nature hasn’t really changed all that much. God reveals more and more of Himself to us through our endeavors, if we dare to seek Him in them, but a “new diagnosis” isn’t actually new. It’s just new to us–meager humans with limited capacity.
There is good news in all of this: The Creator of the Universe knows exactly how many hairs are on your head, He collects every single tear that slides down your cheek, and He cherishes your very being. He loves you so very much that, despite all your ugly sins and hateful words and obvious flaws (yep, we ALL have them!), He sacrificed His very own Son to take your punishment. If that isn’t Love….
Ultimately, there is nothing we can do to separate us from our Maker. (Romans 8: 38-39) You can try to run and hide. You can lash out. You can sit at your keyboard and make scorching comments or eloquent arguments for “your side”. You can be a good person or commit atrocities that common folk couldn’t even imagine. And yet, He still loves you. He still seeks you and chases after you, just like you would if your son or daughter or dearest loved one tried to run and hide from you. Just like there is nothing new under the sun, there is nothing He won’t forgive when His child turns and runs back to Him.
“To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul wrote that in his letter to the Philippian church while he sat in prison, arrested and awaiting death for telling people about Jesus. Until Jesus returns, there will be an ongoing battle of good and evil. We all get a choice everyday we wake up on where we will spend our time and energy. We get to choose which team to be on….the interesting thing to me is this: I know who ultimately wins the Game, so why would you choose the losing team?! We aren’t talking politics here. We are talking about eternity. There is more to life than what meets the eye, friends.
We are all just walking each other home. Be kind, even when they don’t deserve it. Choose to share your smile with someone who has lost theirs. The evil in this world can seem overwhelming, but I promise there is far more good. Look for it; you’ll find it! And until the day we reach our eternal Home, remember this: If it happens to you, it matters to me. Because you are my family!
Jesus loves you, and so do I!
Dr. Allison Key
