Last Thursday, I returned to Pennsylvania to be with my brother, Bishop
J. Richard Bass, who was undergoing an open-heart surgical
procedure. Along with my brother’s wife
and sons, six siblings were present; and, we are all grateful and indebted to
God for a very favorable outcome.
Family is ABSOLUTELY importanT! This profound truth reminds
me of an emotional experience:
In 2013, I traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to support my good
friend, Pastor Stephen Vaughan, who was eulogizing his beloved sister, Joanne
Vaughan-Webster. Since it was a funeral gathering, a powerful blend
of emotions permeated the atmosphere. But
two things in particular captured my attention. First of all, I was
profoundly impressed by the positive impact Joanne’s life had on hundreds in
attendance – from pastors to principals, school superintendents, teachers,
co-workers, military personnel, church members and close
friends. Apparently, hers was a life well lived.
One thing impressed me even more. It was the intangible
expression of love, intimacy, sincerity and warmth that I discerned emanating
so freely from this family. I felt sure that it was entirely
spontaneous and genuine, and I was personally blessed by it. However, I am not naïve enough to believe
that this family (or any other) could always avoid the difficulties that are
prevalent in any group of people with diverse dispositions and mindsets. Family
distinctives can be both a challenge and a blessing. Think about it.
During my 3-hour train ride back to New Haven, Connecticut, I
reflected on the reality and meaning of family.
What is family? What
is this unique phenomenon that constitutes such a curious blend of life experiences? For, simultaneously, family can be a
habitation of happiness and a place of pain. Unquestionably, it
represents a lasting legacy of love, but it is can also be impacted by feelings
of isolation, loneliness, or even rejection. On the way home, I
thought and thought and thought. And then it occurred to me, like a
flash of Rhema from Heaven: Family
is a divinely appointed process of personal purification and maturation.
Much like The Word, which cleanses and sanctifies one’s
attitudes and actions, family is
also a divine agent of change in the life
of every participant. It may well be that God utilizes Family to shape us, to
mature us, to transform us – as we embrace its
ever-present opportunities for nurture, fellowship, friendship and its diametrically opposite
potentials for struggle, hurt and division. I know it might seem to
be an odd statement to make, but perhaps GOD did not intend for family life
to always be an
experience of carefree ease. Because struggle should
not define or separate us; it should transform and unite us.
The following day, I read a Facebook posting that my daughter,
Kimberly Bass-Seaton, had written. She gave a positive “shout-out” to
her siblings, reminding them that nothing (even
times of disagreement) could ever alter her feelings and commitment to unconditional love. I was touched and transformed by Kim’s words.
Bottom-line: Family
should (and must) be a cocoon of mutual acceptance and unconditional love. As caterpillars develop into butterflies inside
cocoons, so it is with families. Family is
our haven, our refuge, our security, our safety net, our shelter and our place
of mission-critical development. To be sure, there are times when we
may get-on-each-others-nerves (so to speak), times when we could be tempted to surrender
to doubt and despair, times when we might even question the worth and wisdom of
ongoing relationships. Yes, there are those
times. But true love consistently
calls us back to the family bosom. It
is a heavenly haven for growing, nurturing and maturing our love.
WE ARE FAMILY FOREVER…in time and eternity. So never ever give up.
Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all
else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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