War Cry - October, 2013 Page 29

The War Cry | OCTOBER 2013

Captain Michele Ward is Director of Special Services for
the Army's Miami, Florida Adult Rehabilitation Center.

off His family, but He was reminding me of something
that I had never taken to heart��my spiritual family
should be just as important as the people with whom I
share blood ties. And for that matter, limiting my idea

of family to just my husband and blood relatives was

limiting what God really meant by family. Look

at "Father Abraham." He only had one son,

but he had a huge family ordained by God,

and we know this because God told him

to circumcise his whole household into

His faith, including His servants! His

spiritual family was so much bigger

than just a few blood relatives.

God never intended for us to

just depend upon and support our

own immediate family. And I won-

dered, where did we get this lim-

ited idea of what makes up "real"

family? After a little research, I

discovered that the Romans viewed

family in this limited way. It makes

sense that the people who destroyed the

Temple of God in Jerusalem and tortured

Christians like they weren't human would
view anyone without a blood tie as an out-
sider. And here we are today in America,
our own version of Rome, with the same
limited view of family.

So when we read in Mark 10:29-32

how Jesus speaks to those who have lost
their family about gaining more broth-

ers, sisters and family in return, He is not

speaking figuratively. He means that God is

giving us a huge family now! To fail to love

and feel the ties that we have with other

believers is similar to cutting off a blood

relative just because you're too selfish or

busy to invest your life in theirs.

And this is where it really gets

interesting. My Bible has a

notation sending me to

Mark 9:43-47. This

is where Jesus

tells believers,

"If your eye

causes you

to sin, gouge

it out." Now

that we know

that Jesus

value ties

to fellow believers above all others, we can understand
these verses in the scope of our family relationships. I
know from my ministry with recovering addicts that
sometimes members of your family are the people who
provide you with alcohol or drugs when you have been
sober for a year. If that is the case, you must cut off
that family. If your brother or father is a pedophile, for
the sake of your children, you must cut them off. Your
family, in God's eyes, are those who love and lift you
up, not those who drag you down. This is just one ex-
treme example of how much more important your spiri-
tual family is than any blood tie!

For those who feel like they have plenty

family among their blood relatives, or perhaps those
who are single, strong, and confident and feel like this
extended view of family is just not needed, hear this:

How good and pleasant it is when

God's people live together in unity! It is like
precious oil poured on the head, running
down on the beard, running down on Aaron's
beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as
if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount
Zion. For there the LORD bestows
his blessing, even life forevermore.

Having a large family is pleasant.

It feels good

to care about people and to be cared about by them.
The precious oil from verse two is a symbol of wealth.
So if you have a large family of believers, you can help
each other out financially. If you have ever received
too much food from your church family during a sick-
ness, you understand a simple way that church fami-
lies help each other out. And family is like the dew
that keeps a mountain green and fertile even in the
middle of a desert. If you have experienced death or
the loss of a beloved family member, you may feel like
you are in a desert. It's time to turn to your spiritual
family, acknowledge them as your relatives and feel
the blessing that God wants you to have so you will
flourish inside and out!

Since the passing of my mom, I have realized, I

am not alone. I'm not an orphan. I have a bigger fam-
ily than I ever thought I could have, and all it took
was opening my eyes to see the brothers and sisters
around me who are bound to my heart more than any
blood relative ever could be.

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9/13/13 3:51 PM