I can promise you, and you may agree, that if there was a community where everyone could enter in and lay their armor down just for one second, where no one would feel judged, pressured or compared, where they could truly trust the people around them, that countless men and women would run to be a part of that kind of community.
~ The Trouble with "Just Friends"i love this article (check it out by clicking on the link!) :) i think we all see how the world has influenced our mindset of dating - that it's super important and that kinda makes us think a LOT about opposite sex relationships (even if it's not your but others' opposite sex relationships). if some guy hangs out with some girl, we immediately suspect 'something' is going on. for some of us who struggle with it more, if someone of the opposite sex just talks to you, you're already speculating about whether it would work out if you got together. and maybe for some of us, we only talk (or don't talk) to those whom we have a romantic attraction to.
but let's not let the world cloud the reality of our relationships with each other: we are BROTHERS and SISTERS in CHRIST! and it may sound very cliche but if you consider the implications of that truth, it's really amazing. we are family. and like the article says, we're not just friends. if we treat each other just as friends, we are missing out on a whole lot of what God intended our church to be.
Christ died for all of us and through that, we became part of His family. if we were just friends, it was be less permanent than that. friends may come and go, sometimes we argue and stop being friends, sometimes there is a misunderstanding and we feel awkward fixing it, sometimes we just drift apart. but family is a permanent bond, and for us, it is held together through Christ's sacrifice.
so what does that mean for us?
actually, it means a lot. it means that when we have something against one of our brothers or sisters or we have an argument, we fix it. it means we dont treat anyone as invaluable or invisible (all these are people whom Christ has died for!). it means we listen to each other and share our lives with each other. it means we stop seeing people as benefits or costs to ourselves, but as real people with real lives.
i think that maybe we have sidetracked from the model Christ gave us. He was concerned about people. sometimes we (me included) think too much about checklists - what do i need to get done, is it going to go well, is that person doing what he/she is supposed to etc etc. but i am realising that this is such an impersonal and programme-focused point of view! where is the concern about real people with real lives?
just as we know that we are real people who make mistakes, cant control the outcome of stuff, and in the end are just hopeless without God, let us also give our brothers and sisters understanding and love where they have made mistakes. instead of just pointing out mistakes, let us encourage each other in the Lord and point each other to Him! we are family after all. :)
and when we are able to treat each other in love, as a family in Christ, you can imagine what a wonderful community that will be. :)
let me be a little kinder
let me be a little blinder
to the faults of those around me
let me praise a little more
let me dream when i am weary
just a little bit more cheery
think a little more of others
and a little less of me!
