I’m Sick and Tired of It, Aren’t You?

Over the last seven days, I’ve been doing the most important thing that I do. I spent the week with my sons, my daughters-in-law, my grandchildren, and our in-laws (the parents of our son’s wives). We spent our days together enjoying each other’s company, having great meals together, and doing new things together. 

You read that right, my wife and I spent seven days with our two sons, our grandchildren, our daughters-in-law, and our in-laws and we had a wonderful time. 

We spent seven days deciding what to eat, where to eat, what to wear, what to do, and when to do it. Our families are made up of early risers, and those who want to sleep until the crack of noon. Those who eat anything (kosher), and those who will eat anything, as long as it is macaroni and cheese. Those who are adventurous, and those whose idea of adventure is trying a new flavored coffee. 

But, for seven days, we were able to be with each other and overcome our personal preferences by choosing to prefer one another, and by seeking the lowest seat. In other words, we made decisions on what to do, and when to do it by agreeing that we would do what allowed us to do what we purposed to do on our trip, and that was to be a family. 

You see, once we recognized what the purpose of our trip was and what our goal was, every other decision became easy.

Our goal was to spend time together making memories. So, whatever activities, times, flavors, dress codes were required to be together making memories, it was easy to say yes. We said yes to getting up to eat a children’s character themed breakfast. We said yes to getting on a ferry boat to get from one location to another, even though it took some the same level of faith to walk across the gangway onto the boat. We walked miles and miles and miles just to eat at a restaurant that one family member had eaten at previously and wanted it to become a shared family memory. Okay, it was just miles, not miles and miles. 

Every decision was made based upon our shared goal and, as a result, not one decision was a compromise or concession. 

My point in writing this today is that what I experienced this past week reminded me of all that is great about being both a family and a family with a single goal, which reminded me just how amazing the Body of Believers could be if we were to come to the same realization. 

Yes, we are all different. Yes, we have different likes and dislikes. Our different ministries have individual focuses: some congregational, some humanitarian, some academic. Others have ministries directed at different people groups by age, nationality, gender, heritage, etc. Others come from cultures that historically don’t merge well together. 

But, if we can see past all of that and remember that we are truly all one family with One Father and that we all have one goal, The Great Commission, then we can work together and agree to make decisions for unity that allow us to achieve our singular goal together. 

Once we all decide that our goal, our commission, is the same, then no decision that helps us achieve that singular goal is a concession, nor a compromise. This unified goal will also lead us to unified truth. 

My family learned that colored pancakes at early morning children’s character breakfasts are fun to eat with your family, that ferry boats are truly a pleasant way to get somewhere, and that a nice long walk can make a meal more tasty and satisfying.

Likewise, when we as the family of G-D understand that we have a single goal and purpose, then we will begin to work together with those who are part of our family to achieve our goal, no matter what the focus of our particular ministry is. We will join together regardless of our individual ministry calling, and work together supporting each other, starting symbiotic relationships, instead of self-serving ones.

Unity is not only more pleasant, it is also more powerful. Spending this amazing week with my family reminded me that I am sick and tired of division for the sake of self-serving, selfish me-ism. Aren’t you?