In the last 7 months I’ve had the privilege of serving in 7 different countries, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and now Colombia…and in each country I’ve tried new foods, I’ve met new people, gone to many different church services, but the one thing that always catches my eye is family. How family is portrayed and seen in each country.
Some countries like Mozambique a family can look like a home for teen boys where Angie, the woman from Texas, not only runs it but has fallen in love with each of the boys that come across her way and has taken in three children (two boys and a girl) to be her own. In Malawi, generations of family members live together. In Zambia, it was a husband and wife and their two little girls, but they also had a sibling set that they kept track of even though they were in “foster” care, living in the local orphan home, because they knew that they had a better education, and life there. In Philippines, everyone is Ate or Kuya (Sister/Aunt, Brother/Uncle), and families aren’t just those your blood related. Often close friends and their spouses and children become family too. In Thailand it looked like Bon Chan orphanage, with a house mom and dad and the love they have for the 20+ children they have living there. In Cambodia it was home that housed local teens and young adults from surrounding villages so that they could get a better education, a high school education, these 20 or so young men and women became a family living together. Here in Colombia, our host the Pastora and her husband Pastor, have 4 children of their own, all adult age, have taken 3 more under the wing. Diana and her two older brothers were, 12, 16 and 18 respectively when their mother died 2 years ago from Cancer. Having no other family so to speak to take them in, Diana’s mother asked the Pastora if she and her husband would take care of and look after her children, and they agreed to. Two years later and the kids are thriving, the boys live full time in a house that the Pastor and the church built for them just down the road from the church and Diana has moved in with them, but still spends lots of time with the Pastora and her family. They will always be family to Pastor and Pastora. So you see family looks differently wherever you go.
As I’ve looked back on this year and the different types of families I’ve seen, and I look at my own life and the two families I have, my biological one and the one I’ve been adopted into I can’t help but think about what my host, Lukas, from Cambodia said. He said that your adoption into your new family is like being adopted into Christ’s family.
At first I was in awe of what he said, because I had never thought of it that way. But the more I thought about it the more I think it’s true Whether you’ve been adopted into a new family because your parent’s died like Diana, or you’ve been taken into a new home to gain a better education like the kids of Lighthouse Ministry in Cambodia, or Beacon of Hope in Mozambique, there is always an adjustment period. There’s a learning curve to begin a new family. You have to figure out the rhythm of life. New customs to learn, rules to follow. Figuring out what the family dynamics are like, the boundaries and limits are. For me a couple of new things I had to learn and adjust to when I first started to become a part of the Martin family (something that someday’s I still struggle with), is remembering that I now had younger siblings looking up to me….yes, I had Jo and Megan before, but Megan was never around, and Jo was always more mature than me so I just never really thought about it before; but with Calvin, Levi, and Ali, I had/have to be more conscious about what I say around them; in other words, don’t cuss, I have to pay attention to my actions, because they’re looking up to me now too; which in all honesty, is one of the reason’s I decided to quit smoking and binge drinking. But not only did I have to adjust to having more younger siblings look up to me, I also had to get used to the fact that I had people who cared enough to want to to know where I was, and what I was up to and how I was doing. It’s not that my mom doesn’t care, it’s just different with Pops (Mike) and Mom (Kelly); I’d been on my own for so long, I’d forgotten what it was like to have someone want to make sure that when I was traveling long distances that I made it to my destination safely, and that when I was living at their house that if I was gonna be out late that I let them know if I was coming home at night or not. But there are definitely plus sides to a new family as well, I have more people to love me, more people I get to love. I have more people to keep me accountable when I screw up, and more people who I know are on my side.
Being adopted into Christ’s family is the same way. When you first join, you have to sit there and figure things out; it’s not always easy but it’s always worth it. You have to figure out the new rules and guidelines, finding the balance between human nature, and what God intended for your life. You learn communication skills all over again, and what it really means to spend time with God. Things like prayer, worship, church, reading the Bible, seeking time to spend with him; they all fall under this category. You have to figure out how to meld the old and the new, find a balance between your old life (old family), new life (new family). The realization that you’ve now got all these new brothers and sisters in Christ on your side, backing you up, loving you, there to support you; it may not be easy at first, but you come to realize that they love you and they really want you to be a part of you and your relationship with Christ and our Heavenly Father, God, and that they want to be a part of your new family.
So I leave you with this… Have you been adopted into Christ’s family. Have you accepted your place in the family of Christ? Are you still trying to figure out the new rules and customs; how to communicate; how to believe you really belong; it’s okay, we all struggle with it I know I do. The best part about being adopted into Christ’s family, becoming a son or daughter of God is that you never have to be alone again, you’ve always got someone on your side. You’ve always got people, and no matter how long it takes you to figure it all out (and it will probably take you a life time) God is always there for you. Just let him be. Let him be the Father you need and want him to be, accept his love, accept his adoption of you. NOTHING else is better.
“he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…” (Ephesians 1:5 ESV)
We are the Family of God
(Below: Her are a few Pics of Christs family from the last few months)
(Above: Both Photos are from Thailand)
(Above Photos: The Three above photos are from Colombia)
(Above: Photo from Cambodia)
