Rise Above

    Have you had “one of those days” lately? Last Thursday was one for me. The previous night had been a sleepless one. I woke up with a headache. My phone was in the pocket of a fleece jacket that went through the wash and I received an e-mail from a friend questioning some decisions I had made on behalf of a group I lead.

     My first reaction was to immediately type a response, which I did. The words came easily, contradicting some points and defending my decisions. I paused for just a minute and did not push, “send.”

     If you hear nothing else today, I encourage you to hear this. As Christians we need each other. I have some trusted Christian friends that I see at least twice a week. We pray together, study together and we have been through much together, both good and bad, joy-filled memories and heart-breaking loss. They know me in such a deep way that I trust them to speak openly and honestly with me.

     I shared the e-mail and asked the question. “How should I respond? Like this?” And provided my response. Her response to me was a wise one. She told me to look deeper into the writer’s words. Don’t look at the supposed criticism, she said, but see what she is really asking. She wanted to help. She wanted her opinions to matter. She wanted to assist in some decision-making.

      The real response included me asking forgiveness, asking for feedback, asking her to look at some items for me. The response back to me was immediate. A thank you. Thanks for being sensitive to my needs. Thank you for your responsiveness. I am grateful. I am grateful for a God who forgives me consistently, over and over again. I am thankful for Christian friends who speak truth when I need it most. I am thankful the situation de-escalated, rather than escalated. I want to view people through the lens of Christ. To rise about my immediate reaction and the kick-right-back response. I want to look a little closer. To pause and give the other person the benefit of the doubt. 

     Jesus loves us all. And He not only asks us to love and forgive others. He goes so far as to unabashedly ask us to forgive our enemies and to bless them. Can’t we at least do that for our friends and families?

     Rising about our circumstances? No easy task. Life is hard and we are all so frail. We all hurt and lash out. Can we, instead, be the peacemakers?

Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

Dear Father,

Rising above the little annoyances and critical thinking is not easy. Show us how to see through to others hearts and guide us to seek peace wherever we go today. Thank you for the friends that speak the truth in love. Show us how to be Jesus to others today.

In His name we pray.

Amen