The truth
about each of them, and perhaps us too, is that a lot has gone on in all of our
lives and continues to, both in the past and in the present. And until or
unless we get past our past we can be hugely affected by it. We make judgments
and choices, responses and reactions, mistakes and excuses, so often based on
where we’ve been. And this can be true for those who are without a faith, new
to the faith and mature in their faith.
Some of the
dear ones I have talked with recently have needed to talk about old stuff and
new stuff, and at times even stuff coming up. Sometimes the truth doesn’t dare
stretch its neck out for fear of humiliation or retaliation or the anticipation
of yet another apathetic response. When it comes to sharing the hard stuff, the
old stuff, and the hurt places with someone, there needs to be relationship,
trust, and a sense of safety and security.
Sometimes you
just need to let the good, the bad and the ugly out and know that it will be
heard and accepted unconditionally. Being the brave talker or the tender
listener takes a God-grounded kind of trust and love that we don’t always come
by naturally. (Can I get an “Amen?”)
So it would
seem that both the talker and the listener have a deep need for HIS love to be
in the midst of every conversation.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 John 4:18a There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…
In Brooke’s candid
post yesterday The Problem
with Grace and Mercy I
liked that she defined both grace and mercy. And I really appreciated that she
talked honestly about how we all can so misuse and distort our versions of
them. I also read between the lines that her quest to get an answer was based
on her love for another and for the truth.
Isn’t that
what confession is? Isn’t it freely and safely talking about what we’ve done
wrong or what wrongs have been done to us?
James 5:16 says, Therefore
confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Easy, right? Sometimes. With certain people, about certain
things, but not about everything. We all sometimes just naturally don’t expect
to be accepted or comforted or forgiven.
And yet once the truth gets out
there, while the words are lingering in the atmosphere, true grace and mercy
can fall on them. And it might even be expressed through us!
Once we have experienced authentic
versions of HIS grace and mercy, and the changing course that they take us on,
we have a tall order; one that I fall short of, I must confess.
II Corinthians 1:3-5 states, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we
ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of
Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
One of the people I visited with this week
had some former distresses that I could relate to so I could offer
understanding. She also shared some serious tales of anguish that I couldn’t
relate to, couldn’t even fathom. I must admit that hearing her woes made me
feel sad, irritated, powerless and provoked. I wanted to leave the conversation
for selfish reasons or take action for the sake of the victim before me. But my
place at that moment was to just love by listening.
1 Corinthians 13: 7-8a Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Love - HIS love - It’s what keeps me running, and it’s
what keeps me from running away.
In the midst of all the stuff that goes on
in our lives, I am so grateful for the LOVE, grace, mercy, truth, comfort, hope
and healing that I find in the Word of God.
Gratefully HIS,
Jan
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