God gave me an amazing gift when He allowed me to participate in and witness the message of the recent Men’s/Women’s Ministry Symposium Event, Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Reconciling our Dysfunctional Family. The experience made me sit up and take notice of how I treat my brothers in Christ and forced me to re-evaluate how I relate to people. More than that, though, it has prompted me to think about the ways in which our relationships are dysfunctional, and how they might be repaired. How often do we actually examine our motives in our friendships or dating relationships? Do we have a genuine interest in the other person’s well-being, or are we involved with him or her because we can get something in return or boost our own self-esteem?
It is apparent that there are many divisions between humans that exist because of the sin that has stained this world for so long. It was never God’s intention that we should be divided by misunderstandings of one another, that there should be thick walls of dishonesty, pride, and mistrust keeping us apart. God designed us to be in harmony with Creation, with the plant and animal kingdoms as well as in relationship with other humans: male, female, rich, poor, young, old, Eastern, Western, and everything in between.
It breaks my heart that we’ve lost part of what we were made to be—a united people attuned to one another’s hopes and needs and committed to worshipping the Lord together all the days of our lives—as a result of those divisions. Yet lately I’ve been stirred by this idea: maybe what’s lost can be found again. We may never experience the fullest reconciliation of our relationships until we reach Heaven, but there is hope for us now. Christ and his example are the targets to aim for, our sign post, the perfect model of how we ought to be treating our fellow believers.
During His ministry on earth, Jesus laid aside prejudices by walking with those labeled “losers” by society. He broke the traditional mold by being in relationship with the marginalized, the weak and suffering, and the despised, using their meekness for His glory. Every so often in a stranger’s kind word or a friend’s selfless sacrifice I’ll catch a glimpse into the window of eternity and what this amazing unity between believers will someday look like.
What does reconciling our dysfunctional human family look like on a daily basis? We must learn to see each other the way God does, adopting a view of others as children of God so precious and so loved that Christ would die for them. Looking past outward appearance and social status—things that fade—we will find souls just like us crying out for love and friendship. While reconciliation isn’t simple, the first, and most important step, is seeing God and others as more important than ourselves, and then treating others with the respect that every member of God’s family equally deserves.
