PERFECT STRANGERS

By Pastor Al Goracke

When my kids were little, Friday nights were the night to be together. We would get out our blankets and pillows and throw them on the living room floor and we would watch the ABC prime time television line-up called TGIF. TGIF was all about good family television programming. One of my favorite programs was a show called Perfect Strangers. Perfect Strangers was about two very different cousins. Balki Bartokomous, was a sheepherder from the small Mediterranean island of Mypos. In the program he traveled to the United States in search of his relatives. He ultimately found his cousin, Larry Appleton - who for the first time in his life was living on his own. They end up living together in Larry's apartment even though the two cousins could not be more different. Larry was a panicky, orderly, and business-like person. Balki was an easy going, innocent and idealistic foreigner. They were cousins and yet their differences pointed to the fact that at times they were Perfect Strangers. I started thinking about the idea of Perfect Strangers. There are times in my life when I feel close to everything and everyone. There are also times in my life when I feel like an outsider or a stranger. Let’s look at three areas of life where we can feel like a stranger.

We can feel like a stranger in our family. The world is a busy place. Parents are working all the time just to put food on the table and gas in their gas tanks. Kids are involved in numerous activities. We are all moving at the speed of light. The problem with that is many times we are moving in different directions and we don’t even know what our family members are struggling with. The Bible says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). As the summer heat and activities get in full swing, don’t be a stranger to your kids. Invest in them. Kids, don’t forget your mom and dad. They would love to spend an occasional summer night hanging out with you.

We can feel like a stranger in our communities. Do we really know our neighbors? Do we know what is happening in our cities? Do we know the needs of our fellow man across the street? I know that we are thinking about how to put fuel in our cars. There are people perhaps even near your home who are wondering how they can put food in their stomachs. Let’s get involved in our neighborhoods and communities. Let’s give to area food shelves and serve in our cities. The writer of Proverbs says, “Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"--when you now have it with you” (Proverbs 3:28). Let’s become world changers in our own backyards! Get involved in other people’s lives.

We can feel like a stranger to God at times. God certainly isn’t a stranger to any of us. God knows everything about us. The Bible says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalms 139:16). God’s Word says God knows everything about us. He knows everything we have ever done or will do. He is no stranger to you or to me. Are we behaving like a stranger to Him? Let’s stay close to God this summer. Let’s work hard, play hard, and worship hard in the summer of 2008. When we intentionally love God and others that’s when we start to live life.

God doesn’t ask perfection from any of us. He certainly doesn’t want us to be strangers. Let’s make the right choices and live the full life that God wants us to live. It’s TGIF once again!