The Fight Is Still On!

"Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Mark 10:9 NIV

I'm not always sure that people are glad to know they have inspired me to write something but in the lesson today I was once again led into a path of thinking about who we are and what we have been about in the course of our history. Of course, the verse listed above has always been used in conjunction with a wedding and today I was given the opportunity to consider the verse in light of the church.

It was mentioned that we are quick to claim that God is responsible for adding people to His church and not man. My additional thoughts went to consider the aspect of us being God's family and heirs with Christ.

When considering the nature of families, those of us with brothers and sisters know how fighting between siblings is a normal part of family life. Many times the fights even continue into adulthood and create additional problems with grandchildren and other members of the extended family. With families joining other families through marriage or adoption, problems often expand into unworkable situations. Oddly, those with the greatest success accept each other for who they are and realize they are all part of the same family.

I imagined tonight what it might be like if the parents of each child born into a family dictated that each sibling be exactly alike to remain part of the family. How impossible it would be for the second, third and subsequent children all to be told. "That is not the way your older sister does things and so you must be exactly like her;" effectively telling them they can have no individuality.

As I grew up in the church, it was not stated this way but we were taught what to believe, and not how to read and think. We were told this is the right way to do things and all of the verses were established in our thinking to support every tradition we had in the church. Obviously, when all the scriptures are established to mean what we are taught they mean, the church is "following" the bible in all things done.

The concept of being with like-minded people is thrown out and being of EXACT mind is taught so no error can exist. In the church (God' family) there is no room for individuality because only one way is right and anyone not exactly on the same pattern is not following the bible and lost (a wolf in sheep's clothing).

I'm sure in many families, the idea of wanting to get rid of a family member or kick them out of the family might often become a desire of the fighting children but this is not an option. I can imagine going to my mother or father and saying we need to take ???????? and drop them off somewhere in the woods far away from home because they just don't work in our family. Yeah, if my brother and sisters might come across this the ? marks refer to you but in all honesty, you probably would have had a greater chance of getting mother and daddy to take me out and drop me off since discussion already took place about what to do with me.

I don't want us to miss the great fact present in these comments, however, that brothers and sisters don't get to decide who is a member of the family. If our parents want to adopt another child we get no say and it is only the sick parents who get rid of their kids and not those who are trying to look like Christ.

As kids, we will still fight. We tell our brothers and sisters you are doing that wrong and dad is going to be angry with you. As I typed this sentence, I wonder if anyone has ever stated "and dad is going to kick you out of the family." Our parents might say I'm going to leave you out of the will but just what takes place before a parent leaves a child out of the will? I believe the answer lies in the child refusing to have anything with the family and withdrawing him or herself and not the parents not having anything to do with the child.

Yes, we have the ability to walk away from the family of God. We have the ability to place ourselves in a position where it is impossible for the Father to extend an inheritance to us but we don't have the right to decide who the Father extends His gifts.

I doubt if "kids" will ever get a grasp on the idea that we don't run the family regardless of how much energy we expend trying to take over and I guess we will be fighting among ourselves until Christ comes and puts an end to all of this.

I would hope and pray those of us having had families might learn from our own families and realize how happy we become as parents when the kids are all getting along with each other; they can do no wrong during this time. How much more our Father in heaven will be pleased with us when we all play well with each other and honor the family with good treatment of our brothers and sisters. Fights do nothing more than sadden our parents and fights between those calling God Father only sadden the one who gave everything so He can live with His family!