There is a wall hanging in the laundry room of the villa in which I’m staying on Seabrook Island. The wall hanging is quite colorful, with various multi-colored boxes containing the following statements written in a variety of creative texts:
Family Rules: May every word be full of grace. Give thanks Obey your parents Share Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Hug often Love one another No whining-ever Rejoice in this day that the Lord has made.
Isn’t that great? What a wonderful combination of scripture passages and common sense life lessons. And the best part of all, is that they are reminders which are helpful to “all kinds” of families…birth families, classroom families, work families, sports/athletic families, and, of course, church families!
I invite you to consider these possibilities of ways in which we can practice these…Family Rules…in our own FUMC family of faith. In every church gathering, meeting, outing in which you participate, make sure that every word you speak to another, even when it is in disagreement of their views, is…a word full of grace. When you look around…on any given day at FUMC…and you see so many people giving of their time, voluntarily, to do so many things…give thanks! In the spirit of…obeying your parents…take some time with our older member to…listen to their stories, share a meal with them, and help them in their need. We have each been blessed with so much abundance…material resources, love, security, daily necessities…so let’s share what we have!
In worship…in committee meetings…in on campus activities…and on our outings…let’s make sure that our number one priority…always…is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And while we’re at it…as fellow sisters and brothers in Christ…let’s be sure to…love one another! You know, in any family of faith, there will be a lot of people…giving of themselves…in their own way. We each have different skills and talents that we bring, which means not all of us will do things…the same way.
So when faced with a situation in which you “might have done things differently”, just remember: no whining-ever! In fact, I would suggest this alternative strategy-hug often! Hugs are the best remedy for almost any ailment…especially a spiritual one! Thanks for being “who you are”…people of FUMC. I am proud and privileged to be a part of this faith family with you…and I look forward to all the days ahead that we have to share together and… Rejoice in this day that the Lord has made!
Pastor Kim