A Family, A Home

We're all born into a family. Whether we know that family, like that family, or really feel like we belong to that family is a different for everyone, perhaps. I was born into a very unique family, a family that knew me and taught me a lot. I grew up in a house in a beautiful neighborhood where I was part of a community. Circumstances then led me to occupy a room in a new house in a new place, with a new family. Now I'm learning to be part of this new family, as an extension of my existing family members.

It's a growing reality I live in, where I am challenged each day to put aside my own needs and desires for the sake of ten other people that occupy the same house. I have therefore found myself as the youngest child, the oldest child, the middle child, and an only child at different seasons of my life. My brothers and sisters come from six different biological families, and between us all we live in six different cities across the world.

This kind of diversity is a beautiful thing, something I treasure in my life dearly. It is not, however, always easy to live with so many different people. In fact, it is often very difficult. I'm often left wondering where I really belong, and where my real home is. I often struggle to accommodate everyone, and wonder if I'm doing a good enough job. I often get frustrated with the imperfections of my family members, and with the even greater imperfections of myself. As the Lord has been faithful to shape my heart, I have learned a few things about family. The very first thing I have learned, and yet the thing I have to constantly remind myself of is this: no family is perfect. Every family requires a great amount of effort and commitment. Every family requires sacrifice, diligence, and stewardship. 

This same lesson is the one God has been teaching me about his Church, the family of those that follow him. I have, over the past two years, come a to life-changing, yet rudimentary, truth: no church is perfect. Every church requires a great amount of effort and commitment. Every church requires sacrifice, diligence and stewardship.

It is no wonder why God chooses to refer to us as his children: because we are a family. Just like I have to struggle through life with my own family, so the Church struggles as a family together.


Today I became an official member of New Hope Church, my church family. I am blessed to be a part of a beautiful and diverse community of individuals. It is a growing reality I live in, where I am challenged each day to put aside my own resources to be used for the furthering of God's plan for our family. I find myself a follower, a leader, a learner and a teacher amongst the other children of God there. My brothers and sisters come from hundreds of different biological families, and between us all we come from dozens of different countries across the world.

As children of God we have the privilege to belong to one another as a family, to grow with each other as a body, to be challenged in a community as we strive for the glory of God. We struggle in great effort and with every ounce of commitment to bless one another as we await our final homes with the Lord. We strive together in sacrifice, diligence and stewardship as a family. The Lord has blessed me greatly.