Our Stories
Family
By Aaron Soderlund | posted 03/22/2007
“But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” (1 Timothy 5:4)
I’ve been thinking recently about family. I don’t know about you, but I am lucky enough to have a large family when you count my aunts, uncles, grandmas, cousins, and in-laws - and they all live in the area. Many of you even know part of my family, since a whole tribe of us attend Creekside regularly.
But why is it that when my life got busy, family seemed to be the first thing to be put aside? Maybe that’s not the case for you, but it has been for me. It hasn’t been intentional, it’s just happened. I grew up, went to college (maybe the reverse order – maybe I haven’t even grown up yet), got married, had a child, and have been learning the balances of being an adult. And through all of it, life has changed. Along with it so has how I spend my time, energy, and my relationships.
As life got busier and busier for me, especially starting my own business, spare time became more and more scarce. The easiest thing to cut out, for some reason, is continuing relationships that have been so stable for so long … like my family. It’s almost as if because they were so solid, they didn’t need the nurturing newer relationships have needed. However, I think those long established relationships might need the most consistent nurturing. They might not need the most time, but they definitely need consistency and attention. Not only for their sake, but for mine too.
For me, my family is who helped me get through the harder parts of my life. They are the ones that drove across Washington to my college graduation to celebrate with me. (However, they should consider themselves fortunate to get to spend that weekend in Pullman, because the next time they’ll get that close to heaven will be… well, later.) But on the big occasions in my life, good or bad, it was my family that was there with me.
There are many definitions of family. I have my actual relatives. I consider my close friends family. I have our church family. And there are probably many more groups of people that you consider your family. Regardless of if they are actually related to you or not, your families are the people that are there for you all of the time. Witnessing the ups and downs in life. Helping you through the hard times and you helping them through their’s. For me, I’ve been blessed to have my family in the area. But it seems as if because they are so close, they’ve not been on the forefront of my mind. It’s not my proudest moment in life. However, I appreciate them just as much as I always have, if not more.
So here is my apology to my family who read this: I’m sorry that I’ve taken you for granted. I love you and am lucky to call you my family.
Maybe you have your head on a little straighter than mine by now, but don’t let your most important relationships get neglected. Christ calls us to be each other’s family. We are His family. You are my family. Without relationships, we don’t have much.
Aaron
PS. And in case you hadn’t realized, baseball season is only two weeks away! Because hopefully you know by now, that God is definitely a baseball fan.
To respond to this message, email Aaron at aaron@windermere.com.
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“But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” (1 Timothy 5:4)
I’ve been thinking recently about family. I don’t know about you, but I am lucky enough to have a large family when you count my aunts, uncles, grandmas, cousins, and in-laws - and they all live in the area. Many of you even know part of my family, since a whole tribe of us attend Creekside regularly. But why is it that when my life got busy, family seemed to be the first thing to be put aside? Maybe that’s not the case for you, but it has been for me. It hasn’t been intentional, it’s just happened. I grew up, went to college (maybe the reverse order – maybe I haven’t even grown up yet), got married, had a child, and have been learning the balances of being an adult. And through all of it, life has changed. Along with it so has how I spend my time, energy, and my relationships. As life got busier and busier for me, especially starting my own business, spare time became more and more scarce. The easiest thing to cut out, for some reason, is continuing relationships that have been so stable for so long … like my family. It’s almost as if because they were so solid, they didn’t need the nurturing newer relationships have needed. However, I think those long established relationships might need the most consistent nurturing. They might not need the most time, but they definitely need consistency and attention. Not only for their sake, but for mine too. For me, my family is who helped me get through the harder parts of my life. They are the ones that drove across Washington to my college graduation to celebrate with me. (However, they should consider themselves fortunate to get to spend that weekend in Pullman, because the next time they’ll get that close to heaven will be… well, later.) But on the big occasions in my life, good or bad, it was my family that was there with me. There are many definitions of family. I have my actual relatives. I consider my close friends family. I have our church family. And there are probably many more groups of people that you consider your family. Regardless of if they are actually related to you or not, your families are the people that are there for you all of the time. Witnessing the ups and downs in life. Helping you through the hard times and you helping them through their’s. For me, I’ve been blessed to have my family in the area. But it seems as if because they are so close, they’ve not been on the forefront of my mind. It’s not my proudest moment in life. However, I appreciate them just as much as I always have, if not more. So here is my apology to my family who read this: I’m sorry that I’ve taken you for granted. I love you and am lucky to call you my family. Maybe you have your head on a little straighter than mine by now, but don’t let your most important relationships get neglected. Christ calls us to be each other’s family. We are His family. You are my family. Without relationships, we don’t have much. Aaron PS. And in case you hadn’t realized, baseball season is only two weeks away! Because hopefully you know by now, that God is definitely a baseball fan. To respond to this message, email Aaron at aaron@windermere.com. |
