Believers Always Have a Family

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47 NIV

In a story titled “For a Change of Pace, Try Running in the Woods,” published last weekend, the writer said “When William Gensburg first fell in love with trail running, he was nearly 50 years old. At the time, he played in an amateur ice hockey league in Westchester County, N.Y., but his injuries were piling up and he needed a different way to stay active. Mr. Gensburg, who had virtually no running experience, started jogging on a leafy two-mile trail near his home. He was instantly hooked and said, “I became enchanted, frankly, with being in the woods doing something at your own pace.” For Mr. Gensburg, who started trail running on his own, the activity has become central to his social life. After going through a divorce and becoming an empty nester, he sold his business and set out on a road trip across the country, planning to visit outdoorsy cities and towns and pick one to retire to. He didn’t get any further than Boulder, Colo., his second stop. He tried out some running groups he found on Meetup, he said, and “The next thing I knew, I had a circle of friends and just decided to stay.”

And, you know, as this story clearly shows, life doesn’t always turn out the way a person plans it will. Divorces happen, health fails, jobs change, and children leave home. Life is always changing, whether it be for the better or the worse. But, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you know there’s one thing that never changes… God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And the same God who arranges for someone to meet “a circle of friends” that will become family is the same God who arranges for fellow believers to meet “together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people” to become family. You see, while you and I might not always have a biological ‘family’ to support us and to share life with, we will always be welcome in the ‘family’ of God. And this family is everywhere!

So, if life hasn’t turned out the way you planned and you find yourself alone and looking for a “circle of friends," make it a habit to meet with the brothers and sisters in the family of God my friend. You will be instantly hooked by their friendship and bonded to them by a love that goes much deeper than running. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us a 'family' that extends far beyond those people we might be related to by blood. Help us to understand how important it is to be in a godly "circle of friends" Lord that we might make the time to foster these relationships and to be that person who reaches out to the lost and lonely to welcome them in. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!