Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Imagine you grew up in a very tight clan. Your tribe depended on each other and your upbringing stressed building up the reputation of your family. Now this could be good in many ways, but there are also some significant drawbacks.

On the positive side, you have family and they can be good at having your back, they can provide for you, protect you, love you, and be an overall blessing to you. The downside may be that patriarchs and other family members might have plans or objectives that do not always line up with God’s will for your life.

You can choose your friends but you don’t get to choose your family. I have been blessed with a wonderful family! Some of that is because they are really wonderful! Also, God has taught me more and more to look at and focus more on people’s potential and less on their immediate actions or responses. Some of my friends have had significant abuse or trauma in their families and some others may still experience this. Some have lost family members to death and this has left a relational hole in their hearts.

Jesus is not dismissing his family here; he is also not rejecting his family. Instead, he is proclaiming a new family line — a spiritual one. And this can include members of our actual family but also others who follow Jesus and do the will of God. What a comfort to know that even though I may or may not always have my family with me, my eternal family in the kingdom of God is right around the corner all the time, so to speak.

What if the family I have lost can be replaced? What if the family who has hurt me, can be changed? What if new spiritual family members can bring me much joy?

Lord, thank you so much for my bloodline family. Thank you as well for my spiritual family. Teach me to invest in both families as I serve and give glory to you.