I often wonder about the world Livie and Rush will grow up in. The places they might be – when we can’t protect their innocence to the harshness of the world. There have been a lot of memes created about how done we are with 2020. To think, we began January 1st full of hope and expectancy – who could’ve known how different this year would be?
Strange.
Awkward.
Worrisome.
I don’t want to stay in this time forever. I want to move on, and move forward from this season.
I want to grow and
gain understanding,
have greater compassion,
be filled with more knowledge,
so I try to extend gentleness wherever possible.
I want to grow and be a reflection of Jesus in every place and to every one.
“So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.”
1 Peter 2:1-3 MSG
Last night – our class watched a video, “The Color of Fear”, one and a half hours of intrigue into the lives of those who see themselves as fighters in this American melting pot.
I’ve been thinking it seems to me (nothing revolutionary here), the real work needed is to realize that when conflict occurs, it is important to truly listen to each other and to learn what it has taken for someone to get to this place. Along with this is our willingness to stay and continue to listen when it hurts or when we are misunderstood.
It is not so much about what is wrong or right here, but rather what causes us to treat each other so differently. What have we learned that causes us to fear or to doubt another’s abilities and intelligence?
How willing are we to learn about each other’s differences? In other words, it is time to get outside of our familiar world and to explore those places we have never been to and with people who look and act and think differently from ourselves.
Jesus was a wanderer. He got out of His comfort zone just so he could learn and love on people. Let’s do that.
Wake up.
Extend gentleness.
Go.
