Much too often, as Christians, we throw around words and phrases lightly just because they are what we are “supposed” to say. Part of what you don’t know when you sign up for the World Race is the fact that words/phrases you have grown up with such as, “brothers and sisters in Christ” begin to take on a completely different meaning and depth.
When I used to hear the phrase “brother in Christ” or “sister in Christ,” I would associate it with the idea of having more people to hang out with in Heaven. I mean, I only have ONE real brother here on earth–Sean.
When it comes to my brother Sean, I would do absolutely ANYTHING I possibly could for him. Our relationship is founded on unconditional
love. Sure there are days we don’t get along–in high school that was
every other day- but that doesn’t change how much I love him. I can be
completely honest with my brother with my likes, my dislikes, my life, his
life–it doesn’t matter! For the rest of our lives we will do life together, in
someway, because we have that BOND. We genuinely love the mess out
of each other, and we want the best for each other, no matter what
happens.
This year, God is asking me if he can REDEFINE what a true brother and
sister in Christ is, and how to be a true sister in Christ back. The previous
paragraph, that describes my relationship with my actual brother, is
exactly how God wants me to love my “brothers and sisters in Christ.”
According to the online dictionary, a brother and sister are defined as “offspring that have a parent in common with another offspring; one who shares a common ancestry, allegiance, character, or purpose with another.”
That defines Christian brothers in sisters. We are offspring of the same Father., and share the same inheritance. We don’t just share some of those things; we share the same ancestry, allegiance, character, AND purpose with one another.
It is actually quite difficult to change my mindset from having “people I get to go to Heaven with” to “actual brothers and sisters I get to do life with!” When it comes to my team and the squad that I am on, I am now craving to have 40+ more brothers and sisters. I WANT to love them unconditionally. I WANT to have complete honesty–good, bad, and the ugly. I WANT brothers and sisters who are willing to say what is on their heart to make me a better person, and visa-versa. I WANT people who will be in my life for life, no matter what. That is part of what a brother and sister in Christ will look like to me.
There is so much more I am going to discover, in relationship to, being a true sister to my brothers and sisters. I have only just begun a journey that calls for me to go and grow deeper in my relationships. A journey that is calling me to help model relationships for the church. A journey that is calling me to be what I say to my team, to my squad, and to everyone of you–a sister.
That is something I want to learn to live out. If I can grasp the concept of what a true brother and sister in Christ looks like this year, then when I go back home I can really be a sister to so many. From this day forward I can be gaining brothers and sisters for the rest of my life. If the “church” of today can grasp that, think of how much UNITY there could be. If people brought honesty out of an unconditional love for each and every person, what could we as a body really look like on this earth?
*Inspired by my brother Sean. You are my original brother, but our family is about to expand!
