Abide

I’m sure you’ve heard that God will give you family that will love you even though they are not your natural family. Well, I experienced this first hand this past weekend. There was a rift made in my relationship with a couple of family members as the result of evil plotting and plans by other individuals intent on causing division. Needless to say, I was blamed for the negative outcome because I was the one who initiated the introductions.

So, you know my emotions were fragile at best. However, I was committed to a couple of functions that weekend that I truly intended to be a part of. But I didn’t know how festive I would be and didn’t want to ruin things for others. But I pressed on. I went despite my feelings and chose to actively participate in conversations and activities. The first event I noticed that the camaraderie was more like sisters and brothers that tease and joke with each other. I liked that. It also gave me sort of an out as far as conversations because I was the new person to the group and I could just watch and listen.

The second event was with a well established group of people that I’ve interacted with for years now. The wisdom and laughter that flowed so freely was truly a bond of sisterhood that has stood the test of time. By the time the party was wrapping up, I realized that I had laughed my way happy. When I stopped focusing on myself and the damaged relationship with my natural family, I saw the familial relationships I was building with others who were not born into the same household as me.

This morning during my quiet time, God gave me the word: Abide. As long as I Abide in Him, it doesn’t matter what others try to steal, kill or destroy in my life, He is more than able to give back to me what those things meant to me. For that reason, today I am truly grateful for His abiding love.