Spirit & Truth # 269
“Hand-Me-Down Genes?”
By Greg Smith
Like
many kids growing up, I received my share of hand-me downs. In addition to secondhand jeans, they also
pass on hand-me-down genes. Someone
recently remarked that when they saw my mother speak in church, “It was like
Greg—in a dress!” We pass on material
goods to our kids. We share our
genetics. We also share spiritual legacy,
insight and wisdom with the next generation.
But God doesn’t want us to keep our spiritual hand-me-downs “all in the
family.”
Last
week we talked about the great influences in Moses life: his mother, wife,
siblings, and father-in-law. Like Moses,
you may have a close-knit family. They
may have contributed greatly to make you who you are. Supportive families are a blessing from the
Lord, but I know some people who have become so clannish that their only
friends are family members. They have
drawn a tiny circle around themselves, letting in only their closest relatives
and (maybe) a few good friends. God
wants you to draw your circle wider—to include those who may not be very much
like you. He has wisdom for you to share
with others. God also wants you to open
your heart to learn from others who may be different from yourself. He wants you to choose a much larger family
than you ever thought you could have.
 |
| Ruth & Naomi |
The
book of Ruth is a beautiful story that begins with heartbreak. A Jewish woman named Naomi has two sons. Each of her sons is married to a Moabite
woman. Tragically, both sons die,
leaving their wives and their widowed mother to fend for themselves. One of the daughters-in-law, Orpah, decides
to return to her own family in the hopes of remarriage and a new start in
life. But Ruth chooses to remain with
her mother-in-law to support her and to learn from her. She says, “Where you go I will go, and where
you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”[i] Though they had little in common other than
shared tragedy, Ruth and Naomi became a dynamic spiritual partnership that
became an example of faith for many.
There’s
the family you’re born into, and the family you choose. Ruth and Naomi chose covenant with one
another. The young woman contributed her
ability to glean in the fields to provide their needs. The older woman offered Ruth her wisdom and
counsel, by which the duo were rescued from their plight. God brings people together to form spiritual
partnerships. Sometimes they’re the most
unlikely of associates—but if God puts them together, they’re certain to
succeed.
“Two are better than one because they
have a good reward for their efforts,” says Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (HCSB). “For if either falls, his companion can lift
him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep
warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?
And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of
three strands is not easily broken.”
What potential faith partners have
come into your life recently? These
people may have characteristics that make them an obvious choice. On the other hand, you may have little in
common with them at first. But if you
keep an open mind, you may find that they are just the friend that God has in
store for you.
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