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We Are Family

     Like I do almost every year, I spent Christmas at my aunt's house. Our family gathering was smaller this year than usual, but it was still just like always in other ways. We had some of the same arguments that we have every Christmas, some of the gifts were loved by the recipients while others missed the mark, we all ate too much of the delicious food, and the kids were the stars of the show. As the day progressed, I did notice one element that is present within my family that is sorely lacking in the world as a whole: acceptance of each other's opinions, particularly regarding the vaccine.

    My family runs the entire spectrum when it comes to the vaccine. A few members are fully vaccinated, including their booster shot. Two people are only partially vaccinated because of bad reactions to either the first or second dose. A few of us aren't vaccinated at all for various reasons. Some have medical issues, some don't trust a vaccine created so quickly, and some, like me, prayed about it and God clearly told us not to get it. Those who are fully vaccinated aren't rude to those who aren't going to get the shot, those of us who aren't getting the shot aren't rude to those who are fully vaccinated, and none of us are giving those who had bad reactions a hard time for letting themselves get talked into getting the shot in the first place.

    The only way we as a society are going to move past this pandemic is by treating each other like we are all part of the same family because we are. God created all of us to love him and love one another, and we honor Him when we do so. Avoiding someone because they don't agree with you isn't going to change their mind, but it will sour your relationship with that person. It saddens me that there are people I know who are willing to risk our friendship because I refuse to get the shot rather than trying to understand why I'm not getting it. It also saddens me that my church is willing to lose dedicated nursery workers simply because they have no desire to get the shot. When we divide ourselves based on something so trivial, how do we expect to reach others with the saving grace of Christ? 

    We are entering a new year, and with a new year comes new resolutions and goals. What if we made 2022 the year that we truly started loving everyone the way Christ loves us? We are all members of God's family, and like all families, we will have disagreements. When we stop fighting each other and instead start fighting for each other, we show the world the beauty of Christ and the strength of His people. Our world needs Christ more now than ever before, and as His followers, it is our job to stand up for Him until the whole world knows of His love and forgiveness.

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