I did not work at my place of employment today, but that does not mean I didn't work. I spent most of the day cleaning out a closet in my extra room. There were boxes of old papers, pictures, souvenirs and well, just things I allowed to accumulate for far too long. In the process, I found a precious memory today. It was one that I had almost forgotten. I found an old notebook that I used as a journal of sorts. Among these pages was the memory I found. I am so thankful I did!
The journal entry recorded a conversation I shared with my oldest son, Adam. This was several years ago --actually it was about 16 years ago; but I am certainly glad I have kept it all these years. I think the incident makes a good lesson for all of us, so I want to share what I had written in my journal. Adam was a junior at the time. His younger brother, Alex was in 6th grade so it was his first year at our local middle school.
I must say that Adam has always been considerate of his younger brothers. He is a good big brother. Even now, as adults he is a good friend to both Alex and Aaron. This incident was no different. Adam was my teen aged son, but he was also my brother in Christ. He had words of exhortation for me - that really is about the only way you can describe it. The child became the teacher. He was very kind and tenderhearted as he spoke. (Read Ephesians 5:32, we are to be kind and tenderhearted to one another.)
Adam came into the living room, sat down beside me on the couch and asked me if I hugged Alex a lot. That question caught me so off guard! I was really surprised by him asking something like that.
"Well, yeah - I guess I do. But why do you ask?" I questioned.
"What do you mean?"
Adam replied, "He's in sixth grade now and he's at the Middle School with the 7th and 8th graders. And he's 12 so he'll be going through some changes soon. He'll be in junior high -- and I just remember how confused I was back then and all the feelings I went through - how unsure of myself I was and I just thought that if you let him know ---"
I interrupted and said, "You think my hugging him and telling him I love him will help?"
"It sure won't hurt," Adam said. "Yes you should hug him and tell him you love him and let him know you are there for him as much as you can because he is really going to need it."
Wow! I think you can see why I am so happy that I found this. It helped me remember that precious conversation. I could almost see my sweet son sitting on the couch with me that day. Now he's a grown man and probably would not like the idea of me calling him "sweet." But I am very proud of the man he has become.
The rest of my entry note was a comparison between our earthly families and our church families. Adam was looking out for his brother just like we should do with our Christian families. He was blessing me at the same time by showing me how concerned he was about Alex and also by encouraging and exhorting me to show extra attention to him. That is what we should do for one another - let each other know we care. --end of journal entry.
I know I have written a lot lately about building up the church by edifying one another and about loving one another as Christ loved the church; but this is such a very important point. We should all remember this all the time. It is part of letting our light shine. It is part of the way we glorify our Father. Loving each other is a commandment. If we can't do it - if we don't try to do it -- we just won't make it to heaven. There is just no way around that folks.
We really can't fool God. We can't hold grudges or gossip about one another or be jealous of one another or judge one another. We have to learn to love one another -- and sometimes that might mean doing some things we don't really want to do. This is a somewhat silly illustration, but I am going to use it anyway. I do not like to cook. Anybody that knows me knows that. But my husband likes to eat. I love my husband, so I cook for him so he can eat - even though I don't like to cook.
We are supposed to show our love and concern for one another. Hard to do sometimes, I know. It becomes a little easier when we look at our brothers and sisters the way Christ does. We must understand that Christ shed His precious blood for everyone -- that means me and you and the person you get upset with because they never take the time to speak to you.
Like Adam said -- a hug sure won't hurt. Actually hugs make you feel pretty good. They can be a huge blessing. They can warm a heart - lift someone out of their blues. We should love our brothers and sisters and look out for them. We should think about their situations - what they are going through. If we have been through similar situations we can offer comfort and hope. We can go to that person and say - "I've been where you are. I know what you are going through." We can also go to others, like Adam did with me. Adam told me what he thought Alex needed - we can do that for someone too.
God loves us. He sent His only Son to die for us. He wants us to take care of one another. He wants us to gently exhort one another (when we need it - when the time is right) like Adam did for me. Adam's exhortation was not to condemn me or criticize me; rather it was to encourage me to do something right. He was reminding me that I had the potential to be a blessing to someone else (in this case, his little brother).
Well, I think I am rambling again. I just wanted to share a memory and maybe brag on my boys a little bit (they are all 3 fine fellas). :) The primary goal tonight though was to remind everyone that your church family is important. God wants us to love each other. There is no reason we can't enjoy that Christian love. It really can be a blessing, you know. And remember a little hug never hurt anyone.
Christ above all things,
Robin
No comments:
Post a Comment