“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:16-17

In college, I had a running joke with friends about the Olive Garden.  “When you’re here, you’re family…but if we catch you eating next door at Red Lobster, you’re dead to us.”  When you go to the Olive Garden, being treated like family means endless salad and breadsticks. In this case, “family” means having the needs of our bodies filled with all the pasta we can eat.  

Paul’s teachings make it clear that everyone is invited to be part of God’s family.  When we are adopted as a child into God’s family, we inherit many gifts including eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and the Spirit to help guide us in our daily lives. Jesus, God’s best gift, taught us to remember and celebrate His sacrifice by the breaking of bread and sharing in the endless meal of eternal life. But with those blessings comes the obligation to no longer live according to the desires for earthly things.  

If we are to join this family and be heirs alongside Christ to the kingdom of God, we must also share in the sufferings of Jesus. In today’s world, we face all sorts of pressures that push against the Spirit, encouraging us to chase after worldly things.  But when we share in the sufferings of Jesus, we’re living as He did.  Jesus lived as one of us. He felt hunger and thirst.  He lived to serve others, not just to be served. He shared the word of God but was scorned and threatened.  Ultimately, he suffered and died for us on the Cross.

When I read about having to share in the suffering of Jesus, I think to myself, “Can we get back to that part about all-you-can-eat breadsticks?”

But this “shared suffering” is a call to model the life of Christ, guided by the Spirit.  The place in His family and the promised inheritance are in front of us right now.  We feel joy when we serve. We feel love when we help another.  We stop chasing the “good life” and start choosing God’s life, even when it’s not the easy choice. And while we wait for that eternal inheritance God will ultimately show us, we don’t have to wait to feel the unlimited love of being a child of God.

The truth is there’s no such thing as “endless” breadsticks and salad.  But when we’re here with Jesus, we really are family, invited into something that lives forever. But don’t think of being part of God’s family as purely symbolic. Is there a space in your life where you can be more involved and available with your “forever family” of God? 

To read or re-read the overview/summary of this week’s passage, you can click here.