Are You In a Relationship?

Dear Sisters,

As a woman of a certain age, I grew up in a time when technology was in its infancy… when a teenage girl’s dream was a pink princess phone in her bedroom with her own telephone line.  I would talk to my friends for hours on the phone and when we weren’t on the phone, we were hanging out together, in person, face-to-face.  We didn’t watch much TV (black and white of course) since we only got four channels and that was when the reception with our bunny ears was good!  We invested ourselves and our time in relationships with others.

Don’t get me wrong - I like my cell phone, computer and cable TV as much as the next gal.  But I have come to realize that as my tech time has increased, I have become relationally lazy, not only with family and friends, but with God as well.  I have been thinking a lot about relationships lately and what it means to me as a wife, mother, daughter and friend. I believe God has placed this on my heart and has done so for a reason.  It is to remind me that as a Christian, I am called to believe in Him and be part of a community that belongs to Him.  I am to be in meaningful relationship with Him and those around me.

The thing is, meaningful relationships can be messy and inconvenient, especially with other humans.  It is so much easier to text than pick up the phone and talk.  Or send an email instead of going out for coffee.  And I wonder how many times I have missed an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else because I just didn’t have time.  The truth is, I make time for what I want to make time for and not what God wants me to make time for.  I have made my agenda more important than His.

So, I am challenging myself and challenging you to reach out to one person each week in a way that will provide an opportunity to strengthen a relationship in a personal way.  This could be as simple as a phone call to a friend, a walk with a neighbor or a hand written note to encourage someone going through a difficult time.  Or what about taking time to talk to someone at church who is alone?  God has created us to be relational beings in need of acceptance and belonging.  We need others as much as they need us.  I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for us!

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:3-4

In Christ, 

Susan

Rounding Up the Bitter Root

            I’m starting a study on the book of Hebrews for the summer and the first lesson was reading the entire book of Hebrews straight through for an overview. As I was reading for general themes, there were several verses and ideas that I KNOW are going to be convicting as I dig a little bit deeper. One particular verse that I just can’t shake out of my brain was Hebrews 12:15. “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” I was really struck by the words, bitter root.

            Bitterness is like a root, isn’t it? It doesn’t always show up on the surface as harmful right away. It can hide right below the surface for a long time, begin to grow, then take hold, and finally choke out the good. I am not a gardener (I can keep a succulent alive, but that hardly counts) but I do know what it looks like when weeds take over what was once well tended and it ain’t perty.

            Without naming any news stories specifically, I have felt a bitter root growing in my heart about many current issues in our world. There are a lot of commentaries, a lot of ways to feel, and many ways to react. I see reactions and replies that I would put in the “bitter” category, if not “hateful”. I often don’t react publically, but I do have a reaction in my heart and in my home. And upon closer evaluation, some of my reactions have been with bitterness and NOT with grace.

            Sometimes (let’s be honest here…often…maybe even always???) my flesh and my being have fallen short of even knowing how to react, what to say, and especially what to do. So, now what? Well, this verse from Hebrews points out that my heart’s reply can be with bitterness or with grace. Luke 6:45 reminded me, “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” I am desperate for my words to be healing, for my life to speak what Jesus wants. I long for His grace to heal the spirits’ of those who are hurting; AND I long for His grace to heal my heart of bitterness so that I do not make the wounds worse. I’m looking for Jesus to spray some round-up on my heart. I want to react in such a way that grace and healing will flow and that my bitterness will not cause trouble…more specifically, dissention, bickering, falling-out, and pushing away.  And 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds me that His healing is just what I need.

Jesus, Your grace is sufficient for me, Your power is made perfect in my weakness. I need your healing and for Your love to take-over my thoughts. I pray You would help me to not fall short of offering Your grace, and that my actions and reactions would not cause trouble for those who need you. Help me not get in the way of the work You want to do through me.

In Him,

Grace