I have been blessed with an incredible family. My parents are together and in love after three decades and although we don’t get to talk as much as I would prefer, my sister Christina truly is my best friend. My parents have supported every big decision I have made and they have taught me not to take life for granted taking advantage of every great opportunity that is put before me. My sister has grown into a beautiful woman of God who is compassionate toward a hurting world. However, the most important lesson my family has taught me is that our definition of family is often to small.
When I was in Jr. High, my parents made the decision to become foster parents and our family of four quickly began to expand. On a daily basis I saw my parents care for and love kids who had no stable family to go home to. They didn’t have to open their home and let little strangers invade their personal life, but they chose to live by a bigger definition of family. A definition that is not restricted by blood, but instead grown by love and compassion.
In college my family continued to grow. For the first time I experienced Christian fellowship in its truest sense and I came to realize that God’s family is more encompassing than we can ever imagine. Throughout those years I learned that being family is largely about a desire to serve one another. It’s about washing the dish your roommate left in the sink without complaining and about traveling to New Orleans with a hammer to help put a roof over someone’s bed. I also learned that being family is about commitment. I was fortunate to meet individuals who had sold everything they owned and left blood relatives behind in the States, while opening their hearts to a new global idea family.
For the past two years I have been living with a host family in San Diego, California. I was not a foster kid with no place else to go, and I was not homeless from poverty or a natural disaster. They simply invited me to be part of their family, to live life in community. The Busby family has taught me that caring for God’s family is not just about volunteering once a month, but it is a daily commitment to love others and give generously.
As I prepare to embark on the World Race, I know that my definition of family is going to be challenged again. In just one week of training, my 50 squad-mates have already become family. I am thankful that I will have them for support this year and I know we will be connected forever through the trials and hardships we will face.
My challenge for you is to examine your idea of family. Have you limited your definition to your immediate blood relatives? Perhaps you include your childhood best friend in that category. But what about your neighbor who always lets their dog pee in your grass? Can you open your heart enough to include the 15-year-old girl living in prostitution in Thailand. You may argue that she is someone else’s daughter, someone else’s sister, but I believe that God’s idea of family transcends boarders and cultural divides. When Christ shed his blood on the cross, he created a new definition of family that has already overcome blood and DNA. It is our choice to reach out and embrace it.
