For the ones I love

When Dan met Laura I was a little wary, girls had come and gone in his life, some he'd left hurt and others had hurt him. Either way it went down it was never nice and I felt apprehensive about another heartache for him. I've always been very protective of my brother. But because I love him, I patiently listened as Dan told me all the things he liked about Laura and I even mustered enough enthusiasm to appear excited about their blooming love. But still, I was wary. 

When he introduced me to Laura, I was distrustful. Under the microscope of my protective judgement, her flaws were immediately obvious. I could see every potential for relationship failure and the crushing of my brother's heart. However, what developed in the petrie dish of God's love at work in me was an awareness of Laura's strengths. She was kind, she was brave, she was diligent and most importantly of all, she deeply loved my brother. As I put my judgments aside I, like Dan, fell inlove with Laura. She and I entered into an enduring friendship and five years later when my brother finally proposed to her, I welcomed Laura as a sister without any reservation.

In the 5 years I've known her, I've never become blind to the flaws I judgmentally saw on our first meeting, but Laura soon-to-be Lumby is my sister, I feel for her they same protective instincts that I feel for my brother and so I'll side with her against myself. It's not blind love, but it is unconditional love.

So I wonder; this deep protective love, this unshakable loyalty to those I call my own. Why keep it only for the 5 or 6 people who I get close enough to that I would call them my family? Didn't Jesus bind me to every child of God as though they were my blood kin? Why love exclusively? Why pick and choose based upon the luck of who I get along with best?

Tomorrow is Sunday. Tomorrow as I walk into Church I choose to see every person as family. Tomorrow I choose to overlook their faults and to encourage their strengths. Tomorrow I will take my place as a daughter of God and love my brothers and sisters in Christ.