Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


2.20.2005  

We

Several people were recently on the receiving end of my favorite question: "What's God teaching you?" Jenny...Kimberly...Rob...and several others, I think. I loved hearing their responses; their thoughtful, sober, and geniune answers left me awed at what God does in the hearts of His children. What's more, the lessons they shared encouraged me in ways that I can't capture with words.

I heard echoes of pain, of struggle, of confusion. I felt the warmth of their joy, their love, their hope. In what they shared, I was reminded once again that God does not call us to a life of solitude and unknown isolation; He gives us brothers and sisters to love and to be loved by, people in whom we behold a refreshing likeness of Christ.

The function of the body to serve and to encourage one another is, at least in my life, one that is neglected. It is, as Boss would put it, my "Lone Ranger" tendency. I can't do it alone, yet I function as if I can. I easily buy into one of two deceptions: I'm either better than someone else, or someone is better than me. In either case, I find that I'll react in much the same way, which is to hide my struggles in an effort to "keep up appearances." Foolishness! When will I learn? Andrew's admonishment to encourage admonishes me still. Yet, I'm finding that in order to encourage...truly encourage...I must lay down my pride and reveal how the struggles we face are just that: the struggles we face.

posted by Bolo | 12:26 AM
0 speakage
Free Hit
Counters
Dell Coupons
Daily
Read
Listen
Visualize
Blogging Buddies
Old School
Me
Bug Me
Yore
Factuality
Quotatious