For most of my life, people referred to our family as the "perfect" family.
"Oh Marlo, your family is perfect."
"Gosh, you sure seem to have the perfect family."
"I wish I could be the 4th Applewhite daughter ... you're family is so awesome."
And the list could go on for miles. To be honest, it did seem true. We were all imperfect people ... but we truly did do the family thing really well. No matter how large it grew over the years, we all related more as one large immediate family, rather than extended with aunts, uncles, and cousins. We were all just one big happy family ... very few speed bumps.
Cue the chaos, in three, two, one ...
These last two years have been the most difficult for my greater family in more ways than I can express. All the sudden, it seemed as if everything got shoved into a blender and someone put it on the highest setting - pulverize. Church conflict, denominational conflict, relational conflict, misunderstandings, a divorce for my sister, emotional fallout from the divorce, questions, hurt feelings, issues outside the family ... you name it and we have pretty much had a taste in some way or another over the last 48 months. I felt like a Lifetime movie in the making. It seemed as if everything we had treasured for so many years had come to an end. It was difficult water to navigate.
Now, don't get me wrong, in all that chaos - we stuck together - we tried to muscle through ... but it was rough. There was emotional free-bleeding going on all over the place. At Christmas, I began asking God that 2009 be the year of renewal for my family. We have too much love and too much faith to let anything ruin the gifts we've been given in each other.
Well, it's spring now ... Easter morning - the most renewing day of the year ... is less than 48 hours away, and I feel it coming. I have continued to pray for the renewal ... the refreshment ... the restoration, to arrive - and I feel that it has made its entrance. All things are becoming new. The Lord has been blessing us, little by little, with letting go ... with coming together ... with healing.
What is most surprising, is that I do not regret the chaos. It has been a teacher. We are still learning the lessons and taking the exams ... but I think it will all be worth it when the grades are posted. I think we will end up even closer, even stronger, more unified, and more in awe of the One who can truly make all things new. We who have loved much have been forgiven much - and
we
are
family.
"Oh Marlo, your family is perfect."
"Gosh, you sure seem to have the perfect family."
"I wish I could be the 4th Applewhite daughter ... you're family is so awesome."
And the list could go on for miles. To be honest, it did seem true. We were all imperfect people ... but we truly did do the family thing really well. No matter how large it grew over the years, we all related more as one large immediate family, rather than extended with aunts, uncles, and cousins. We were all just one big happy family ... very few speed bumps.
Cue the chaos, in three, two, one ...
These last two years have been the most difficult for my greater family in more ways than I can express. All the sudden, it seemed as if everything got shoved into a blender and someone put it on the highest setting - pulverize. Church conflict, denominational conflict, relational conflict, misunderstandings, a divorce for my sister, emotional fallout from the divorce, questions, hurt feelings, issues outside the family ... you name it and we have pretty much had a taste in some way or another over the last 48 months. I felt like a Lifetime movie in the making. It seemed as if everything we had treasured for so many years had come to an end. It was difficult water to navigate.
Now, don't get me wrong, in all that chaos - we stuck together - we tried to muscle through ... but it was rough. There was emotional free-bleeding going on all over the place. At Christmas, I began asking God that 2009 be the year of renewal for my family. We have too much love and too much faith to let anything ruin the gifts we've been given in each other.
Well, it's spring now ... Easter morning - the most renewing day of the year ... is less than 48 hours away, and I feel it coming. I have continued to pray for the renewal ... the refreshment ... the restoration, to arrive - and I feel that it has made its entrance. All things are becoming new. The Lord has been blessing us, little by little, with letting go ... with coming together ... with healing.
What is most surprising, is that I do not regret the chaos. It has been a teacher. We are still learning the lessons and taking the exams ... but I think it will all be worth it when the grades are posted. I think we will end up even closer, even stronger, more unified, and more in awe of the One who can truly make all things new. We who have loved much have been forgiven much - and
we
are
family.
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