With this post, I'm bringing you greetings from the Midwest! As of today (June 22), I'm sitting in the living room of my parents-in-law in Ottawa, Kansas. We just came here yesterday from visiting my side of the family. We attended church with my parents yesterday in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was the first time my whole family had been together in church for many years. Of course, all three of us kids have our own churches and schedules, so we can't be together on Sundays very often. Yesterday, however, things came together for all of us, and we were there, on Father's Day, to hear my father deliver a sermon. My sister and I both sang. My father was rather touched to have us all together--I think we gave him a pretty good Father's Day present.
The whole week was a good one for strengthening relationships. We three siblings stayed up a few very late nights, just talking about what has been happening in our lives, and how our perspectives on life and faith have adapted as we have gained experience. We were intrigued, I think, to see how we have come to some of the same perspectives even though we are separated by space, time, and circumstances. Even as our insights have come into greater agreement, it also seems that we are increasingly appreciating the importance of humility--we are realizing how much we have yet to learn. God is always seeking to impart greater wisdom to us through His Word, our experiences, and through the perspectives of others. It would be a shame to close ourselves off to that wisdom, thinking we already understand things well enough. That openness is so important, both for our own growth in Christ and our relationships.
All of this causes me to reflect, once again, on the great benefits we may gain from Christian fellowship if we just invest the time and effort to reach across our differences, and with a teachable spirit, open ourselves to the stories and perspectives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's important to be honest with ourselves, understanding that it takes constant effort to bridge the gaps caused by differing backgrounds, personalities, and styles. We love to take the path of least resistance; it involves little effort when we spend time with those who are like-minded and kindred spirits. However, if we associate only with those who are like us, we are probably not going to learn very much.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3, NIV). I like that verse, because first, it recognizes the challenge of unity with those who are different from us. We can all testify to the difficulty of relationships with those we'd term "difficult people" -- though we often dismiss as difficult those who are simply very different. The second thing I like about the verse, though, is that it gives the method for surmounting the difficulty: the "bond of peace." What is this "bond of peace" which is supposed to give us the resources to have unity with those very different from us? The answer: Jesus Himself; His work on the Cross reconciles us both to God and to each other. In Ephesians 2:14, Paul reminds us that "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..." (NIV)
If we have truly made Christ's atonement a part of our lives, we should be living the full implications of the Gospel. One of those implications is that we can live in unity and mutual encouragement with any Christian brother or sister, regardless of our differences. In the Father's wisdom, He has ordained that a good portion of the wisdom and guidance we need is sent to us by the fellowship of others in the Body of Christ. We are stunted in our growth when we refuse to bridge the gaps of personal differences and humble ourselves enough to learn. I pray that you and I will continually commit ourselves not to miss the riches of wisdom and caring that can be found in our Christian family.
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