Ohana: Discipleship and Family with God, pt. II
As mentioned last week, our youth group road trip to WV allowed our group time to reflect on what it means to go on our spiritual journey through life together as a family. Whether we recognize it or not, our families and church communities have a huge impact on our spiritual development. Those closest to us can either have a profoundly encouraging or a profoundly challenging effect on our journey. To prompt our discussion about serving as family, we watched a clip from the movie The Incredibles:
As random as it may seem at first, this scene is all too relevant to the tension among family when we follow Jesus with all our hearts. Mr. Incredible is frustrated because their family is being kept from using their gifts to serve well. Mrs. Incredible may agree, but she feels as if truly embracing their gifts and calling will endanger their family. In Matthew 10:16-23, Jesus says that following him will result in all sorts of persecution and family strife. Jesus is not asking us to hate or disrespect our family members. To the contrary, he is describing the reality of what can happen all to often when family members are not united in faith. For some, choosing to follow Jesus into difficult or potentially unsafe situations raises all sorts of anxiety in those who love them. It may even cause fights. For others, a choice by a family member to step out in faith where he or she is unwilling to go will stir up their own insecurity and create anger. We have a God-given desire for the safety of our loved ones...and yet we recognize that following God is not always "safe." Following Jesus and loving each other doesn't always come easily.
Just like the Parr family from the Incredibles, individuals and families are often pressured by society to conform. But a life led by the hope of God's kingdom often causes us to make decisions that do not conform. Jesus calls us to a love and mission that goes far beyond community service. It means actually meeting people in vulnerable places and bringing hope. This is challenging, and often times asks things of us that cut against the grain of our comfort levels.
Service Beyond Volunteer Work
On the Saturday morning of our retreat, we had the opportunity to serve at a local laundromat in Oak Hill, paying for people's laundry and getting into meaningful conversations with folks. This was not an uncommon event for our youth - we have sponsored similar events here in Ashland, OH through the church. However, this was our first time doing it in a new location. The project can be a bit awkward at first. People at the laundromat are unsure why random strangers want to pay for their laundry, or perhaps feel too prideful to allow us to bless them in that way. However, as we get into conversation with people, we start to learn their stories and to share our own. Our hearts meet theirs, and our little family grows larger as we invite them in.
As you reflect on the way you serve together with your family and your church community, let's ask a few questions:
- In what ways do you allow fear of others' perception keep you from being exceptional?
- In what ways are you self-serving?
- Do your family and friends encourage you or prevent you from following God on mission to love others?
- In what ways can you serve God's kingdom better with your family and friends?