I never knew the benefits (or disadvantages!) of growing up in a large family. Although my mother had three siblings, my father was (because of bereavement) an only child and I too had no siblings. I was still grateful for my family, but family gatherings at Christmas and other special occasions were never like those seen on TV ads, with people crammed around the table laden with food. My two aunts were unmarried when I was a child, and my uncle and his wife had no children. Life was singularly undramatic as far as I was concerned! There was little sense of belonging to a ‘clan’ (rather like the Shelby clan in the series ‘Peaky Blinders’); there was little sense of community in our small family, even though we were close-knit.
I don’t remember feeling particularly lonely as a child, but it was something of a shock to realise when I became a Christian in my late teens that now I was part of the biggest family in the world! Peter tells us that each of us is a ‘chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.’ (1 Pet 2:9) We are no longer merely individuals; those in Christ have a wider identity, being chosen by God. There is a specific purpose for each of us: ‘that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.’ (1 Pet 2:9) Our identity is firmly rooted in what God says about us; likewise, the purpose of our lives is defined by Him and what He has done for us.
‘Chosen’. ‘Holy’. ‘Royal’. ‘Special.’ These are all adjectives which apply to every single believer. None are adjectives I would ever have thought to apply to myself. Yet this is how God sees each of us, much to our astonishment. As a popular meme says, ‘straighten your crown and remember whose child you are.’ We who believe in Jesus have an identity and purpose far greater than we often recognise.
