Thankful - H
It was a drama-filled Thanksgiving. In the end I was thankful to come home and find some peace. What I was especially thankful for, though, is my church and the support of our friends. Some expressed that they were thinking about me over the holiday. I was really touched. The community that E and I have around us is an exceptional group of people, and we are truly blessed to have each one of them in our lives.
One thing I learned this weekend is that it is very important for us to have friends in our lives that can tell us the objective truth and give us a different perspective. I guess this is essentially community. I read somewhere how groups of people who have the same thoughts and beliefs will tend to make decisions that lean heavily toward one side, but at least one dissenting voice will bring them closer to the center. Does this make sense? Did I explain this clearly? Anyway, if all we know of the world is how things work in our own microcosms, we lack understanding and grace toward others. This is how I was even into college until my pastor insightfully pointed this out in me. I had all these expectations of others that I thought everyone held and was not very gracious toward them when they didn't live up to my standards. I had to realize that not everyone thinks about things in the same way I do, but someone had to help me realize that. It really changed the way I thought about other people and interpreted their actions and especially my response to them. It made me a more gracious person. Living in a bubble is dangerous.
I am really surprised when I see the human capacity to treat others poorly. I guess I shouldn't be b/c we can only show any goodness b/c of the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, I am so amazed at the kinds of things that happen to, say, enemies in prison. They sometimes are treated as less than human beings. I think of the scene in the movie _Cold Mountain_ where the men put the woman's fingers between the planks in the wooden fence and danced upon them while crushing her fingers. I'm even appalled by the things my students sometimes say to each other. They treat those that they don't like with such a lack of dignity. I experienced a bit of this this weekend. Gosh, it's so important to have perspective, a Godly and Biblical perspective.
Romans 3:23 "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Hallelujah!
One thing I learned this weekend is that it is very important for us to have friends in our lives that can tell us the objective truth and give us a different perspective. I guess this is essentially community. I read somewhere how groups of people who have the same thoughts and beliefs will tend to make decisions that lean heavily toward one side, but at least one dissenting voice will bring them closer to the center. Does this make sense? Did I explain this clearly? Anyway, if all we know of the world is how things work in our own microcosms, we lack understanding and grace toward others. This is how I was even into college until my pastor insightfully pointed this out in me. I had all these expectations of others that I thought everyone held and was not very gracious toward them when they didn't live up to my standards. I had to realize that not everyone thinks about things in the same way I do, but someone had to help me realize that. It really changed the way I thought about other people and interpreted their actions and especially my response to them. It made me a more gracious person. Living in a bubble is dangerous.
I am really surprised when I see the human capacity to treat others poorly. I guess I shouldn't be b/c we can only show any goodness b/c of the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, I am so amazed at the kinds of things that happen to, say, enemies in prison. They sometimes are treated as less than human beings. I think of the scene in the movie _Cold Mountain_ where the men put the woman's fingers between the planks in the wooden fence and danced upon them while crushing her fingers. I'm even appalled by the things my students sometimes say to each other. They treat those that they don't like with such a lack of dignity. I experienced a bit of this this weekend. Gosh, it's so important to have perspective, a Godly and Biblical perspective.
Romans 3:23 "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Hallelujah!
posted by haed at 4:59 PM
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