community & "brotherly affection"

Romans 12:9-21 is all about marks of the true christian, and one of my favorite parts of this is what this means for our community. verse 10 says to "love one another with brotherly affection." other translations say to "be devoted to one another in brotherly affection." this is huge. think about your relationships with your blood-related family members. even if our parents or siblings have radically different values and lifestyles from us, there is still a tie that stays, that is permanent. we say "well, they are still my dad," or "still my sister," because they will always be connected to us. we are supposed to love one another in this way. especially for Christians who share common values with us, we are to be as patient and doggedly devoted to one another as family members.

what else does this mean? verses 11 and 12 go on to say: "do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." while it is easy to say that this seems to only be about our relationship with God, i think the reason they stand in the very middle of numerous directions about Christian relationships is important. we can't give up on our brothers and sisters around us, we must keep our hope and be patient in all the troubles that we meet. and be constantly praying for each other with a fervor that stems from love. this is how we meet the troubles and tribulations of those relationships around us--with patience and prayer. i think it is hard work to be deeply involved in peoples' lives, and it is a scary, scary thing. C.S. Lewis said that they only way to be sure not to have your heart broken is never to give it to anyone. we must give our hearts away though because this is where hope lies. the triumph of Christ becomes our hope, giving us a structure in which to share ourselves with each other--and a reason to do so.