when church becomes family

                I don’t know if you could relate, but do you remember those days in elementary school when you and your friends created these complex family trees during recess? I recall I had 3 sisters, 2 aunts and 2 uncles…and a few other cousins too. And for days we would refer to one another by our ‘family name’. Although these identities only lasted for a few weeks, it provided us with such entertainment and happiness…perhaps it was the concept of being so close knit that intrigued us. Because in a true close knit family, one is willing to cry, willing to share, willing to confront and most importantly, willing to love. Although most of my fake elementary school families have dissolved, one particular family seems to hold true and steadfast…until this day. For years, I saw these individuals simply as my Sunday church friends, but several days ago, I sensed that we are more than that…we are family.

                Let’s start the story off with saying…we all make mistakes and sometimes, we make unwise choices. We can blame the underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, but as teenagers and young adults…let’s just say… it happens. And when a friend makes an unwise decision, their friends would often react by encouraging them to take risks, ignore the consequences and laugh it off. This was not the case because a few weeks ago, when the “unwise” amber lights began flashing indicating that one of my friends was acting irresponsibly… my friend did not bother maintaining her cool factor and chose to care and keep close tabs on him. This was not because she was obligated to but because she felt obligated. To her, she had to because she was the older big sister who had to make sure he was okay. She couldn’t just laugh off his irresponsible decision and leave him as he was. Hearing the story for the first time, I responded similarly to my other church girls…with concern and a huge sigh. We also did not react like a typical friend because we were all more than that. We are not just fake brothers and sisters, but as a church community, we are a real and genuine family. This small incidence showed me the magnitude of this family bond. Seeing concern, care and an outpour of love reminded me that even though we are miles apart from one another, we are just like blood-related sisters/brothers.

~c.h.