I had an epiphany the other day. I was thinking about all of the people that are very dear to me and about how I describe them. I'll introduce them to others as "my" mom, "my" sister, "my" best friend, and so on. But then God reminded me ever so gently that these people do not "belong" to me. He has given them to me, or let me borrow them, while I am here. Let's take a little walk through scripture so I can show you how God reminded me of this.
Genesis chapter 2 is a good place to start. After God had created everything--the earth, the sea, the animals, and man-- God saw that Adam was lonely. Verse 18 is the first example of God giving a human a companion. "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.'" (HCSB) God saw that Adam needed another human to be his "helper" and his "complement," so God let Adam have Eve.
Later, in chapter 22, God reminds Abraham that people are a precious gift. "'Take your son,' He said, 'your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.'" (Genesis 22:2 HCSB) This is quite the challenge! I don't honestly know how I would react initially if God told me to offer him my little sister, as she is the one that I hold dearest. I trust my God, but that would be a very hard command to obey. He is reminding Abraham that Isaac belongs to Him, but He has let Abraham borrow Isaac.
Moses' story shows many different examples of God's generosity. The fact that God spared Moses' life, so he could fulfill God's promises to the Hebrews shows how God gives us people. Actually, one might even notice from this story how God gives us places as gifts. He gave the Hebrews their promised land, but perhaps He gives us a church or someplace to go home to. A comfort zone is a gift on many different levels.
The book of Ruth provides a powerful example of love, but it also shows how God blessed Ruth and Naomi with each other. Ruth 1:16-17 says "But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you, or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh punish me, and do so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." (HCSB) This woman followed God's commands, and God had commanded her to be with Naomi. God gave Ruth to Naomi, because He knew what would happen in her life that she would need a loyal companion.
The disciples had each other, but God brought them together. He gave them to one another so they wouldn't be lonely in the ungodly world. They served as "accountability buddies" as well. Basically, they were each blessed with people to keep them grounded in their faith, and to help them spread the gospel of Christ.
Paul was given a multitude of people to bless him in his walk with God. Silas, Barnabas, Timothy, even Stephen. He was never allowed to be lonely while ministering. God always blessed him with companions, but they were God's gift to give. Paul had no real control over what God chose to do with those people.
These were some things that crossed my mind when considering "my" family--my blessings from God. He gently reminded me that the people I hold dearest are given to me, because of how much He loves me. They are proof of His love for me. Now every time I think of them, I think of how grateful I am for a God that loves me enough to let me borrow some of His treasures.
The best way to describe to you "my" mom and "my" little sister is to say that they are my inspiration. They are pretty much the reason I get out of bed every morning. I can honestly say that if I didn't have either of them, I would not still be here. They save my life everyday in more ways than they even know. But God knows. He knows everything, so He knew that I needed them. He knew that they would be what brought me to Him. In fact, He knew that they would be what brought me to myself.
God let me borrow His Michelle and His Autumn, so that they could give me the best example of what His love looks like. I will be forever grateful that He allowed me to have them while I am here, and every time I think of them they will remind me Who's I am, and Who's they are. It takes a pretty generous God to give such precious gifts.
