the family of God

With Mother's Day approaching I have found my thoughts turning to my Mom and the important place she has in my life. As I thought about that, I started to think about other women in my life who have played a role in making me who I am today. None of them take the place of my Mom, but many of them have poured into me in ways that helped me to grow.

And I think that is how the family of God is supposed to work. Our biological families have a huge role to play, but it shouldn't end with them. The family of God should be a continuation of our biological families.

That continuation is in the good and the bad. And, that does mean, that there will be times when they drive us crazy or hurt us, whether intentionally or unintentionally - because that is what families do. They aren't perfect. They make mistakes. But when something goes wrong, we deal with it. We apologize, forgive, and figure out how to move forward from that point.

As I sit in a coffee shop and write this, I have a continually growing list of women in my life who have poured into me in various ways and have played a role in some way in helping me become who I am today. Some have come alongside as sisters. Some have been youth leaders. Some have been summer camp cabin leaders. Some have been dorm moms when I was at Bible college. Some have been mentors. Some have been pastors. Some have been Bible study leaders. Some have been women I've worked alongside with in ministry opportunities. God has used them in my life, and I'm blessed because of it.