A word has been bouncing around in my brain for a few days. It’s a beautiful word, a bold word, a belonging word. It is a word that is full of both promise and pain.
The word is “kindred”.
Kindred is defined as a group of related persons, as a clan or tribe, a person’s relatives or, here in the south, kinfolk or kin. It’s people that have a similar or related origin, nature, or character
Kindred can be a people gathered together around a common passion, purpose or pursuit.
People who are somehow bonded together.
Kindred can be a negative thing, that happens when hurt and hate are passed on from generation to generation.
No kindred is perfect but a well constructed kindred breaks chains and builds bridges.
Kindred is framily.
Framily is a fusion of friends and family. It’s what happens when family become friends and friends become family.
It’s framily,
It’s kindred.
Kindred is a people, I think it also should be a place…
A place where bread is broken and promises are not.
Dreams are shared and insecurities are bared.
Framily brings freedom. The freedom to be your messed up, dysfunctional, quirky, crazy self. The freedom to be who you are and grow into who you are meant to be.
Kindred is a divinely designed deal. From the beginning (literally) we were meant to operate as kindred. We are meant to be one beautifully constructed, breathtakingly colorful framily or tribe gathered around a common passion, purpose and pursuit…love.
Kindred is meant to be fueled by love AND to fuel love.
We have a kindred spirit.
We are able to share a Kindred spirit because the Spirit makes us kindred.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (Eph. 1:5-6 NLT)
“Because you, too, have heard the word of truth—the good news of your salvation—and because you believed in the One who is truth, your lives are marked with His seal. This is none other than the Holy Spirit who was promised.” (Eph. 1:13 VOICE)
Kindred grabs you by the hand (and heart) and says the words of Johnny Cash, “We’re all in this together if we’re in it at all”.
It’s a mighty big tribe who have been united by a common need and a common discovery. We have let the things that would divide us be burnt away by a holy fire, and we are left with the things that make us the same…beauty from the ashes.
We have realized that God doesn’t compare what He creates. Instead he calls…
Come, be the kindred.
carbonated joy 