Bigger Than Two

Each week I'm fortunate to get a little information about the sermon in advance as part of being on staff. Usually, for me, this is a chance to think about it, absorb it, and reflect on the topic throughout the week. I'm the kind of person that likes to marinate in ideas for a few days before I really form an opinion or figure out how to apply it.

Of course, all the marination in the world doesn't really help you to grasp concepts in a marriage series when you're not yet married. However, I was thinking about the concept of "Bigger Than 2" during the week and on Saturday afternoon, when I made my weekly (or more) trek to the theater.

Of course the big new release this week is the worldly "Sex and the City 2." And it was about as self-absorbed and shallow as I expected. But I was struck by the fact that, during a week when we were talking about how to be bigger than two in marriage, that topic was the same one Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) was wrestling with in the film. During the early to middle parts of the film (it's 146 minutes so they really stretch out the angst), Carrie is worried that now that she's married to John (Chris Noth) that it's going to be hard to make it work since it's just going to be the two of them the rest of their lives.

Of course she explores that angst in a typically self-destructive fashion. But it got me to thinking about this week's message, and about the fact that having something bigger than yourselves really can help unite people.

I recently finished a book by Christian author and speaker Donald Miller called "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." The book is about finding the story for our lives and living it out. Really, one of the things I liked best about the book is that it's a series of stories he's collected from friends that help demonstrate that point.

One of the chapters I was most fascinated about was called "How Jason Saved his Family." The story was about a man named Jason who was struggling to keep his family going strong and on the right path. He had tension with his wife and was not too pleased with the decisions his teenage daughter was making. So he tried to think of something he could do to unite them.

Jason hit upon the idea of raising money to build an orphanage in Mexico. It cost $25,000, and he didn't really have that kind of money lying around, but he took a step out in faith and brought his family along with him. Predictably, they weren't as excited when he broke the news to them. Then a funny thing happened, they started thinking about the idea and it became a family mission. Instead of three people living for each other, they were three people working toward a larger vision.

I was lucky enough to see that modeled for me in my own home. My parents had their struggles, especially financial struggles, but they remained the most generous people I knew. No matter what was going on in their lives, through good times and bad, they gave their time, talents, and tithes to the Lord, leading youth groups, taking kids on trips, and serving as part of the A.W.A.N.A. Mission Board.

And that example lives on in me and my sister. The servants heart I saw modeled in my home as a youth is something I've tried to live out in my own walk with the Lord. And it's something I hope to pass on to my own family some day.

So the question is, what is God putting on your heart to do? And even more important, will you answer the call?