No one need stand alone!
Well, November crept in on me. I'm almost ready for July but I'm uncertain what happened to that month or those months following it until now. Seems no matter how hard I try, I'm always running behind. I've just finished mulching the leaves from my yard and flower gardens. When the sun goes down the evenings now are cold, and you can smell the wood smoke from fireplaces. Have you noticed how smells, sights or sounds bring back memories of times with your family? What memories do you have of the autumn happenings and your family? Jumping into piles of leaves? Snuggling together in front of a cozy fireplace? Walks and chats along a leaf covered path or road? Hay rides? My goodness, do they still have hay rides?
The word 'Family',
for many of us awakens a warm and safe feeling inside. Family, a place-but then not merely a physical place; perhaps more an emotional place, where we are loved and accepted. A knowing, if you will, that no matter where we go, what we do or what happens to us, that we will be welcome in this place. That's the way it is to be with the Christian family as well. I've found that where ever I travel I am greeted by people that I feel I've know all my life and we've only just met. It's as though our Heavenly Father has created a bond between his children. I've also found that there may be years between occasions to communicate with some of my Christian brothers and sisters and yet there seems to be no gap, it's as though we saw and spoke with each other yesterday or perhaps the day before. What a marvelous extended family we have. Have you had the opportunity to meet them?
We were not created to stand-alone. As stated in last month's posting, each of us is a child of God. Each a royal princess with the mightiest Father and King that there has ever or will ever be. Each hand picked. All of our needs have been provided for even before we were born. The paths we would have to choose between were laid out just as well as those people we would meet along the path. No, we are not puppets and I am not inferring that we have been given no choices; in fact God will not influence our choices. That's what free will is all about. He just knows us, and what our choice will be. In all my life, no one else has known me that well. Some of us may have been a surprise to our parents, but we were no surprise to God.
First and foremost
We cannot stand alone because our Heavenly Father is there with us at all times, whether we want him to be or not. We may choose to ignore him-but he won't go away.
Second,
He has provided this Christian family for us. Within this unit we find strength in our time of weakness, encouragement in our time of doubt or confusion. They remind us of hope when we seem to be at a loss to see even a glimmer of hope in the distance. When we are too weak to stand they hold us up, sometimes physically as well as in prayer. At this point it seems most important to encourage anyone reading this letter that may not be a part of a Church to search for one. Pray about it and ask your Heavenly Dad where he would choose for you to be. While you are searching, look for a church that teaches the Word of God, the Scriptures, not all churches do. Keep in mind that the teaching should begin with Jesus and end with Jesus - and he should be everything in the middle. He was with the Father in the beginning and He is with the Father now and will reign in glory in the end. That's what the Scriptures teach. Then, become a part of that church, not only attending on Sunday mornings. Sunday mornings you will hear the teaching and this in itself is good-but we humans need human contact. We need the opportunity to learn to know one another, you may share your thoughts and concerns with a stranger, but I believe you would be more willing to share them with a close friend. And, which will be more caring about your thoughts and concerns, a stranger or a close friend?
Third,
He gave us each a physical family. Some were richly blessed with warm accepting and loving families. For this group, it's easy to comprehend being accepted by another group of people. Others haven't known that warm family experience. The word family gives few if no warm fuzzies. Therefore, reaching out to a group of people-not knowing whether there will be acceptance or rejection is very traumatic. And yet we were not created to stand-alone. Inside we feel the need to belong, to be a part of someone or something. We don't understand the feeling, and may fight it with everything inside of us. But still it returns from time to time. That need is what people are searching to fill when they join occult groups. These groups understand that weakness in us and use it to trap unsuspecting people who are searching for "something." The true need in us can only be met when we come to Jesus, the Christ.
Because we can't reach out and touch him or climb up physically into our Heavenly Father's lap he's given us the church. We can reach out and touch each other hug each other, cry with as well as rejoice with each other. There's no one so lonely as one who chooses to stand completely alone.
Kathy D.
Please consider sharing your memories of sights, smells, sounds that you may have of your Christian Church family to encourage others?