The Hardest Thing to Accept

I don't fully understand why, among Christians, we sometimes find ourselves in broken relationships that are truly and deeply broken. Usually one person is intractably, unmovably determined to not restore any sense of connection.

It would seem to me, that since we are new creations and submitted to Christ for obedience to his command to love one another deeply, that both should be willing, for Christ's sake if for nothing else, to at least acknowledge the other person's existence. I suspect that pride and self-righteousness are often part of the mix.

I know that Peter and Paul had at least one sharp disagreement and they went separate ways-likewise Paul and Barnabas. Maybe there were others, I don't remember. And if it happened among those who had actually seen the Christ, his chosen disciples, how much more should it happen to us.

Maybe we have lost touch with how steeped in sin we all are. Maybe we don't understand what sin is. Maybe it is something so hideous, so deceptive, so pervasive, that we are sometimes controlled by it even when we don't think we are controlled by it. Maybe the adversary uses our own sin against us in some ju jitsu fashion- causing us to think that we are reflecting the righteousness of the Son, when in reality we might be reflecting the character of the Father of Lies.

In eternity, when all is opened and revealed we, each of us, may find ourselves aghast and ashamed. Heaven help us- who will rescue us from this body of death? Thanks be to God for Christ Jesus, our Redeemer and our Righteousness!

Chili's

The other evening we drove up to West Hartford to visit Evan and have dinner at a nearby Chili's. The food was very good but the place was noisy and by the time I left I was getting a headache. But it was a nice evening to spend time with our oldest son and hear about what's going on in his life. He's experiencing frustrations with his work and is wanting to make some changes, but things are still "up in the air" for him now. We're so pleased that at age 23 he is still "connected" to us (in the good sense of the word). He wants to tell us about his hopes and he wants to see us and hear from us. It is a real pleasure to enjoy him as an friend, and one whom we respect for his character and integrity and his pure heart.

No Conditions

One of the main reasons that people are nuts about their pets is that there are no conditions in the relationship. Your cat (or dog) thinks you are the greatest thing going- they don’t see or care about your faults. You are always at the top of the charts with them. Period. This is a kind of love that we all need; and pets are one of only two places to get it. Love from other people may be unconditional for a time, or now and again, but we just can’t seem to avoid getting bogged into some sort of “expectations,” even if we try our best to avoid it. Your dog is always glad to see you; can anyone say the same for a husband, wife, child or friend?

Qualities

I've come to the conclusion that there are only a few qualities that mark someone who is maturing in Christ: humility, a broken and contrite spirit, concern for others, gentleness, and a willingness to change as the Lord leads through his Spirit, his Word, and his people.