Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Our greatest need is to recapture the New Testament teaching concerning the Church. If only we could see ourselves in terms of it, we would realize that we are the most privileged people on earth, that there is nothing to be compared with being a Christian and a member of the mystical body of Christ.” I think he was right. No, I know he was right. To be part of a local church is a great privilege. My fellow church members are not blessed to have me. I am blessed to have them. The same is true for all us who are part of a church family.

That’s certainly one of the richest pictures of a church – a family. Most likely, your family loves you no matter what. Through all of your successes and failures; through all your triumphs and tragedies; through your best days and your worst days; when you are the sweetest person on earth or barely human, at the end of the day, you are loved. That’s how most churches operate too. When I think back about all the dumb, arrogant and selfish things I’ve done or said, I’m stunned anyone at church talks to me at all. They’ve seen me at my best and at my worst, and they love me just the same, maybe even more.

Like any family, we fight sometimes. We get on each other’s nerves. We even cause each other pain. But at the end of the day, we love and forgive one another, because that’s what families do. The church of Jesus Christ is a family like no other. We love each other because Christ first loved us. We forgive each other because Jesus forgave us. So even when love and forgiveness seem impossible, we are supernaturally empowered to love and forgive. And the church is a family for many who have no natural family. Widows who are all alone or single people far from home, the list could go on and on, but the local church is a much-needed family to many, many people.

The reality is that acts of kindness like the one I was shown are not outliers. They happen dozens, if not hundreds, of times every week. Broken and sinful people love one another despite their brokenness and sinfulness every day. But amidst all the clutter and chaos that is a local church, they can be hard to see if we’re not looking. So, look and consider the small glimpses the Lord gives us to remind us of the beauty of his imperfect and unfinished bride. Focus on that. When we do, we will begin to see the splendor and privilege of the church of Jesus Christ, and her flaws and problems will grow dim in the light her beauty.