It was a Sunday afternoon and my parents had returned from inspecting a condominium they owned. Several years earlier, my parents bought it in partnership with my mother’s younger brother. They were renting it out for the past year but after the renters left, they wanted to inspect the unit. They learned from their property manager that the unit was left in shambles and would require a great deal of work to restore it. The three of them met at the condo earlier in the morning. From the moment they entered our house, they were yelling. It was the middle of their argument, but I was still able to reconstruct some of the events.
“It’s a mess! So much work to do!” My father threw his car keys on the table.
“I told you when we bought it, I wasn’t sure we should do this.”
“NO! We were all in agreement when we bought it.” My father was screaming. “You only changed your mind when your brother said, for the first time ever, this morning, that he had his doubts! I told both of you that we were ALL in agreement when we bought it. Now he’s changing his mind and YOU sided with him, against me! Don’t talk to me. Blood is thicker than water!”
I was frightened. I was only ten years old and had never seen my father act like this toward my mother.
“Blood is thicker than water!”
He repeated it again and again and slammed his bedroom door. At that time, I did not understand what my father meant by this. I soon learned that he meant that familial blood ties will always be stronger than other relationships. Regrettably, my father even applied this to his own marriage to my mother. He was convinced she chose her brother over him. It was the breaking point of their marriage and the next day, my father moved out of their bedroom. Within a year, they had separated and filed for divorce.
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7 (NLT)
Blood is thicker than water.
Over fifty years ago, this statement precipitated the heartache of my parent’s divorce and the rupture of our family. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I learned a new meaning. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are saved and redeemed. His blood brought healing and peace to my life and restored the relationship that sin had ruptured between myself and God.
Only the blood of Jesus Christ is thicker than any relationship we can have. His blood is life-affirming and life-regenerating. Even relationships that appear hopeless can be reborn through the power of the Resurrection.
Amen.
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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