Friday-Family

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 3:8,9

I don’t know what kind of family you were raised in. Some lived in a home that was filled with lovingkindness and giving. A home where parents showed affection for one another. Where no one yelled or screamed. Where there was peace between all the children. A place where friends and family felt at home.

And then there was my family. There was lots and lots of yelling and screaming. Parents that never touched one another with kindness or held hands. Since everyone wanted to be the center of attention all the time, we’d do and say outrageous things to make sure everyone was looking at us.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents and brother. I miss them. Now that they’re all gone, there is a kind of emptiness caused because I can’t pick up the phone and call them anymore. I’ll never hear them asking how I’m doing. No more words of encouragement or laughter. You see, it’s easy to miss them now that they’re gone. That’s why we need to make sure we take advantage of our time together when we’re still alive.

This is exactly what Peter’s saying to the Christians he’s writing to. While we’re alive and in this life, we need to choose to treat people a certain way. To show lovingkindness and grace while we’re together. It’s a matter of faith to follow God’s direction to love one another. Here are the five ways Peter encourages us to live.

• Like-minded. When it comes to the big and important things about Jesus and faith in him, Peter is calling us to pay attention to the really important things. This means that we actually have to know what they are and to be more relaxed on the less important things.

• Sympathetic. We’re to be so connected with other Christians that when they bleed, we’re to say “Ouch.” We’re to laugh alongside with them too[1]. Because God’s Holy Spirit lives in us both, we’re connected in a way that’s greater and more powerful than our physical family.

• Love one another. Just like we’re ready to drop anything to help a family member who’s in trouble, we need to run to help another Christian. Not just ready to run, but to actually do the running. To drop whatever we’re doing and go to their side. Ready and willing to do anything for them.

• Compassionate. Yes, the early Christians lived in a cold and hardhearted world just like we do. When their neighbors saw how Christians were so tenderhearted with one another, they just couldn’t stop wondering what was with these people. And the same should be true of us also.

• Humble. This isn’t to think of yourself as a slug. As someone who’s totally worthless. If Jesus died for you and your sins, then you’re a person of unimaginable value and eternal worth. So, we need to have a godly view of ourselves and how God wants to change us[2]

Just so you know, these five things aren’t all that easy to do. Actually, it’s impossible to live like this by ourselves. We’re naturally selfish and want all the good things to come to us. And when it comes to the bad things of life, we want to be surrounded by a great spiritual seawall, blocking any and all of the storms of life from banging on us,

The reason I know this is true is because Peter tells us that we’re to repay evil with blessing. When we get the short end of the stick in this life, we’re not to become angry or bitter. Instead, we’re to speak well of them and act with kindness.

If you’re like me, I can barely say these words. My fingers really don’t want to type them either. I want to lash out at the people who have hurt my family and friends. I want to bring down pain and suffering on them. After all, that’s exactly what they deserve.

And here’s where Jesus separates himself from everyone else. Instead of telling us that it’s not OK for us to do this, he sends us in a totally different direction. We’re to love our enemies. We’re to pray for them[3]. No one else in the history of the world says anything like this.

But why? Why would Jesus tell his followers to do something with all their hearts that’s just so strange? Because that’s exactly what he did for us. He didn’t die for the people who had all their spiritual stuff together. No, he brought his enemies back to himself[4], making them part of his forever family. And since we’re together in God’s family, we’re to love and treat one another with his kind of love. Now, that’s the kind of family that we don’t deserve, but the family God brings us back into.

Noodling Questions

• Choose three words to describe your family. Why those words?

• Is lovingkindness a sign of weakness or strength? Explain.

• Explain why people don’t treat others well and with respect.

[1] Romans 12:15

[2] Romans 12:3

[3] Matthew 5:44

[4] Romans 5:10