When the bird flew into the kitchen, skimming across the dip
and landing on the broccoli, the will to live began to seep from my body. It had been a long day and constructing a
meal for my people was taking forever before breaking every health code known
to mankind. I sighed and pitched the dip
and veggies in the garbage. Birds are
like overtired toddlers who have been imbued by the Creator with the gift of
flight. Imagine a 2 year old, tired,
hungry and about to throw themselves on the kitchen floor in protest, when
suddenly, they decide to levitate and perch them self on the top of the
fridge. I looked at my daughter’s
cockatiel and said something rude. He
hissed in reply. We stared at each
other, sizing up our opponent. Nothing
says fun like trying to catch a creature that can defecate on your head. That sentiment
summed up my day, cleaning up one mess after the other, chasing destructive
forces and trying to contain the damage.
It’s been a rough week so let’s just cut to the chase. Pretend we have already consumed a cup in
your kitchen. We’ve done the dishes and
tidied the counters, but now we’re topping up our mugs and headed for the
living room. That’s me on the couch in
the corner – see me? Great. Now be a dolly and bring the cookies in here
too. We are going to need the sugar to keep us going.
While munching a cookie and comparing our social calendars, we would inevitably start to discuss how quickly time is passing as we raise our children. Within a few more minutes I would hijack the conversation because this week I came to a major realization about human relationships. I decided the most time saving skill a human can learn is to identify which people are worth investing in. It seems simple,
but the question “Does this person treat
me well, are they in this relationship for my good?” can be fraught with uncertainty. Ideally, the
answer should be clear. The answer
should be quick. The answer should be
yes.***
In my Christian home-school bubble, I meet a lot of amazing
women; devout, energetic, talented ladies many of whom run families, businesses
and organizations. It’s a charmed
existence really, except when the science of sin rears its head and community
life becomes strained. I enjoy people,
except I find it annoying when they don’t do what I want. For me, that’s an everyday thing. Blessedly,
we have common goals and cut each other a lot of grace when things go
sideways.
However relationships where teens are involved can be more complicated. I have the honor of
working with teens a few times a week, which is an amazing blessing, except
when it’s not. When it’s not, conversations with youth can swirl like a hormonal
hot tub of strong opinions, feelings and ideas. When the waters get heated and the jets get going, it’s hard to
remember I’m the functional adult who is to set a good example of how to disagree with others. Many young people are getting pulled into arguments by simply observing the bad behavior of adults in their world.
A stumbling block for many in faith communities is the
staggering concept that not everyone wants to be your friend. Not everyone has your good in mind and not
everyone is kind. In theory we expect to
be kicked in this dog eat dog world, but take the premise into communities of
worship….
It’s a shocker.
This is a piece of unsettling information that hits the teen set hard. If they discover an incongruity between a person's professed faith and their behavior, anger is frequently the result. It takes maturity to help a teen wade through the disappointment hypocrisy creates and to encourage them to offer grace to the offender. Teens need to adjust their expectations. I see this when faith communities allow cliques to flourish in their organizations without challenging the mentality behind exclusive behavior. Sadly, sin exists everywhere and humans tend to exclude those they don't know. Living out the spirit of inclusion displayed by
Jesus is a lifelong battle.
In my world, a social media group was constructed to help facilitate interaction between those with similar goals. I recently learned that a fraction of the first group had set up their own group, smaller and more select, containing members they perceived were more popular.
In my world, a social media group was constructed to help facilitate interaction between those with similar goals. I recently learned that a fraction of the first group had set up their own group, smaller and more select, containing members they perceived were more popular.
It was sad but predictable.
This is where the time saving part comes in. I wonder how much time I have spent in my (not
quite) 50 years trying to make unpleasant people like me. One of the liberating things about age is
that you care less about such things, but the trick is trying to convey this
truth to those who are young. This
is where the life of Jesus is so informative.
Any study of scripture will disabuse you of the notion of radical social
acceptance. Sometimes you need to take
the loss of a relationship and keep moving.
If Jesus was rejected and felt the effects, is there any reason why we would should expect something different?
The key is in the moving on in grace. Leave those who are exclusive for the Lord to deal with. Spend time with those who love you, pray for
new friends if they are needed and engage in the rebuilding process. Let the rejection do its work and become more
inclusive - not less. The world is in
great need of those who can get beyond the “bird of a feather stick together”
mentality. Hiding in a bubble where you
are never critiqued, challenged or changed is no way to grow.
Birds of a feather may stick together, but they can make an
awful mess.
Praying for you this week,
xoxKaren
***Thank you Andrew Pudewa, a thousand times thank you.
PS. Some of you were
emailed an old Christmas devotional this morning. I apologize.
I have no idea what I did to cause that.
I would promise it will never happen again or tell you I’m looking into
it, but really I’m mildly panicking and hoping
for the best at this point.
Quote picture from quotefancy.com
Quote picture from quotefancy.com
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