Mulling's On My Mind

 “Be nice”

       be “kind”

            “love”, and “care” for you neighbor.

How many times did you hear such statements in your life time?

How many times have you said that to someone — especially a child?

True story:

I went through a mini-crisis some years ago.  The issues was a hard one, with much pain and conflicting feelings, going through me.  I learned a great deal during those three years.  I grew-up a lot.  I learned to confront the issues that needed confronting.  I had never really been put in a position, quite like that, as a Pastor.

The result?  The situation caused me to question if love truly begets love.

Just because we love, and care, for someone doesn’t mean that the actions and feelings are returned.  Or even appreciated for that matter.

It was a painful experience for this idealistic person.

And, by the way, “speaking the truth in love,” (Eph. 4:15f) doesn’t always end the way you hoped it would.

Those of us who have been raise-up in the ELCA Lutheran tradition  know we are to love, as reconciling people, by the grace of God as modeled by Jesus.

Think about that a minute. — a long minute.

You and I are to be people who love with the love of Christ — even in the rock-hard places of life.

Think about how difficult it is to put yourself in the position of attempting to heal a breach — whether between individuals or a groups.

Reconciliation is no where near an easy task.

The question:  “…I know reconciliation doesn’t mean winning, but what does it actually mean?”

Answer:  “….there are three essential steps in reconciliation.  Maybe more but certainly these three:  First, reconciliation involves honestly facing the differences and what constitutes the breach between parties.  Second, it involves the recognition and admission of our  limitations, distortions, and responsibilities in the cause of the breach — hopefully on both sides.  Third, it involves the need, the longing, on at least one parties part, to be reconciled to the other.  Someone needs to risk taking the initiative, which pride makes it hard for us to do.  (P. 140 Loaves, Fishes, and leftovers.)

As I was mulling over all of these thoughts, this past week, the word ‘humility’ kept popping into my mind.

Neil Diamond sings these words:  “Pride is the chief cause of the decline of husband and wife.”

So I am thinking that to be a person, who desires to live as Jesus asks, we need to be willing to put pride aside and eat a little humble pie.

And that my friends is no easy task.

However, when you really think about the alternative we might realize humble pie could give us back the treasure we temporarily lost.

Then the question came into the conversation:

“Earlier you said reconciliation is not easy, and it doesn’t come naturally.  Why is it the so many of the things that matter, and the God seems to want us to be, don’t seem to come naturally?”

Good question isn’t it?