Find Your Family

One of the prevailing tropes of science fiction is the pain of being the only one of your kind, or worse, the last of your kind. A species unto oneself, they are often alienated, lonely, independent and strange. From ET, the stranded little alien who just wants to get back to his planet, to the Doctor, the last of the Time Lords, we are shown the grief and loss of being completely alone. Both of these creatures struggle on their own, not only with loneliness, but with understanding their surroundings, their purpose, and being able to find joy. Like ET, we need a friend to help us find our home, and like the Doctor, we need companions to keep us sane and hold us accountable to being our best selves.

In Genesis, God looked upon his creation and it was good . . . well, all except one thing. When he looked at man, he said “it is not good that the man should be alone,” and in that moment God created family (Genesis 2:18). Notice, it doesn’t say it was not good for man to not have sex, or not have a wife, or not have kids – the problem is that man should not be alone. We are created for family, for community.

So what are we single folks to do? When I first moved to LA, I didn’t know a soul in my area. Sure, my actual biological family was just a couple hours away, but I wasn’t living my life with them daily. I got a tiny studio apartment by myself and dedicated almost every moment of my life to my job. After some time of this, I realized it wasn’t enough. The Bible is full of these imperatives, these things that help us live a good, joyous, godly life – and almost every single one of these includes the phrase “one another.” I realized it was kinda hard to do anything for one another if there was just me. Yes, I had my students to reach out to, but I didn’t have many people to reach back. I had to find my family in Los Angeles, so I sought out closer relationships with my fellow teachers, and committed to a local church. These people became my family for the last decade, and even though I’ve moved, I still consider them family.

In my final installment of the “What Do You Believe About Singleness” series, it’s time to redefine family. Often we think of ourselves as alone, and when singles look ahead to the future, this can be quite daunting. The “what ifs” come to mind, making us freak out at times. “What if I never get married? What if I never get to raise kids? What if I have to keep finding roommate after roommate for the rest of my life? What if I die alone?”

As Bridget Jones so eloquently put it, “I suddenly realised that unless something changed soon I was going to live a life where my major relationship was with a bottle of wine…and I’d finally die, fat and alone, and be found three weeks later half-eaten by alsatians. Or I was about to turn into Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction.” Thoughts like these can take over until we stop and remind ourselves that we are not actually alone. If we are Christians, we are part of the family of God. Ephesians 2:19-22 says:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The question then is are we taking advantage of the fact that we are part of this family, or are we trying to lone wolf it? Just like any family, being part of this one can be hard and it takes work, but it’s so worth it.

Here are some ideas to help us get more involved in the family of God:

• Join a Bible study, community group, Sunday School, or whatever random thing your church calls small groups, and go as often as you can, even when you don’t particularly want to.
• Pray for the people in your church.
• Push yourself outside of your comfort zone by reaching out to people of different ages and different life stages. Try to befriend other singles and married couples, people with kids and people without, the couple that’s been married for 60 years and the recent widow, the pastors, parishioners, and the quiet guy in the back corner.
• Ask for help when you need it. Be humble and realize you don’t have to do everything on your own. Ask people for all kinds of help from loading up your moving van to helping you eat the dozens of scones you baked, from quizzing you as you prep for the Bar Exam to helping you cheer on the LA Kings the next time they make it to the playoffs.
• As you get to know people, invite them over, even when things aren’t perfect and you don’t have snacks. Walk to Subway together. Order pizza. Actually set a day for it. Everyone is busy, so don’t just say, “hey, we should hang out,” but try to put an actual date and time in your phones.
• And for your married friends with kids, invite yourself over to their house – it’s probably easier to just show up with some bread and a bottle of wine some Wednesday night than for them to pack up the family and squeeze into your tiny apartment kitchen. Be polite, say “hey, I’d love to come hang out with the family sometime soon. What are a few dates in the next 2-3 weeks that would work for you?” Then go and hang out with the whole family, kids and parents alike.
• Find a family or two to adopt you, people who see you as more than just a babysitter, but rather someone who adds to their family, and someone they’d like to pour into. Seek people who can take care of you and who will allow you to help take care of them. This is where being an aunt, uncle, or godparent is awesome, even if it’s not by blood. Every person should have kids in their lives – even single ones.
• Be honest with yourself, with God, and with your friends – ask for help when you need it, weep with them when you need to, laugh with them as much as you can. Ask questions. Listen well. Learn to love and be loved.

You may need to redefine what family is for different seasons of your life. When I was younger and had a large group of single friends, we were family – in and out of each other’s apartments throughout the week. We sat together at church on Sundays and hung out at group on Thursday nights, but we also met for happy hour, movies, camping trips, Target runs, and even grading or study sessions. As we got older and more and more friends married and had kids, the dynamic changed and we had to change with it. I became friends with my friends’ spouses, and godmother or adopted auntie to their kids. At this point in my life, I realize there’s a good chance I won’t have kids of my own to raise so I decided to move to be closer to my mom, my sister and her family, and my little brother and his family. I wanted to be close to my little nephew and niece as they grow up, to have a great influence on them, to help out, and be helped by them.

The hardest part of moving was leaving my church family behind. I’m trying to find a new one, and it can be painful and even a bit heartbreaking. After almost 10 years with the same family, I just don’t fit into another one and have to overcome doubts that I ever will. Yet, I will keep trying because I know the value of it. ⅓ of the “one another” verses in the Bible are about loving one another and are specific to the family of God (John 13:34, 15:12 & 17; Romans 12:10, 13:8; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22, 5:14; 1 John 3:11, 4:7 & 11; 2 John 5). Kinda hard for me love others and let others love me if I’m not getting to know the Christians around me so I can know how best to love them.

So, think about your life. Are you part of a family? Are you an active part of the family of God? If not, you’re missing out on one of the greatest blessings to a single Christian. I challenge you to try, but try hard. Sometimes the best things are the most difficult and the most rewarding.