Perhaps the biggest fear my wife and I had when moving from Indiana to South Carolina was this: What will we do if something goes wrong?
While living in Michigan we had my family and our friends who lived no more than 45 minutes away. If a car broke down, if the washing machine went out, if someone got sick then we knew someone would be around to help us out. When we moved down to Indiana we were only 15 minutes away from my wife's family, and while we were able to make friends as the months and years progressed, it helped to alleviate some anxiety to know that if anything went wrong at least we had her family nearby to help.
When we moved to South Carolina we were moving to a strange (yet beautiful) new world and didn't know anyone. We were both able to get jobs, but like most people we weren't necessarily looking to make friends at work (thankfully my wife was able to do so). What this meant is that we were on our own if anything went wrong. Car didn't work? Refrigerator died? Get lost in a brand new city? Too bad; you better be able to take care of it yourself. We never realized how much we relied on family to help us through difficult times.
I think that is why it was such a joy to find our church family at Hub City. Many of those attending were just like us. That had moved from far away, left family and friends, and started a brand new life. Not only that but they understood what it meant to be so far away from everything that seemed normal, especially when you had no one but yourself to depend on. They took us under their wings and became more than friends; they became our new family. They didn't really know us and we could have been quite weird. Yet the only thing that mattered was that we had the same Father, the same Spirit, and they treated us as more than just 'tourists'. As I type this I can't imagine what it would be like to not have them in our lives. How pale and shallow things would be. Who in the world would I be able to share my love of baseball and movies?
That is the great thing about being in God's family. Despite your past, your mistakes, the difficulties you face, the family of God says "Come on in". You don't have to wash up first or get your act 'together'. For those who believe you're given all the rights AND appropriate responsibilities of those who belong to the family. It is amazing to see the natural workings of the church in this capacity and it can move someone from just being a part of the crowd to being an individual who is committed to serving and loving the people around them. Just like a family is supposed to do.
So today, invite someone in your home. Make them a part of your family.
-Mike
