Business vs. Family

"Its not personal, its business."
"What does that even mean? Whatever anything is it ought to begin by being personal."
- You've Got Mail
At church last week Brad started a series on the Lord's Prayer. His focus was on the first phrase, "our Father who are in heaven." He talked about the word 'Abba' and how it wasn't a word describing familiarity but a "deep and trusting reverence". He talked about the differences between business and family.
A business relationship is about doing, what you can do for me. A family relationship is about being, being who you are.
In a business relationship you are expected to perform, and only if you perform adequately will you be accepted. In a family relationship you are accepted, and out of that comes a performance, or not - yet another aspect specific to family.
A business runs on reciprocity - I sell means you buy and we both get what we want. A family runs on whats needed - if you need and I have, then I give and if you never give it back, you're still family.
In a business you make a list of problems to bring to the attention of the management. In a family, there is no chance of eviction.

Later Brad posed the question: why would God listen to my prayers? The answer is simple: because He is still my Father. No matter what we do or don't do or say or don't say; no matter how we act or how we fail, He is still our Father. "And no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (John 10:29b) We are family, and that means forever.
Have you ever heard anyone say, "I'm in business with God"? I never have. But I constantly hear about the family of God, the family that is the church, "God our Father, Christ our brother" (Casting Crowns 2009) "I'm so glad, I'm a part of the family of God". Business contracts end, family never does. Blood is thicker than water and all that.

The point is: when we pray the Lord's prayer, when we pray at all, are we addressing a business contact or a family member? Do we finagle and bargain and negotiate or do we boldly ask for what we need? Brad has mentioned several times that when a member of the congregation wants to talk to him in his office they quietly knock on the door and wait for him say 'Come in', but when one of his children need or want something they come straight in. Not only is it amusing to watch Brad tell this story but as a child who barged into Mom's office often, regardless of who was in there or how busy she looked, I completely appreciate the point. It never mattered who Mom was talking to or what she was doing, when I wanted or needed something from her or that was in her office I opened the door and walked into the office. I wonder what my walk with God would be like if I approached Him the same way I approached Mom.

"The only person who dare wake a King at 3am for a drink of water is his child." Would you wake a King in the middle of the night for something as simple as a drink of water? You would if you were his child. And the reality is, we are children of king, THE KING, so why don't we act like it?