Thursday, September 08, 2011

Make the Effort, It's Worth It - September 8, 2011

Good Thursday morning! Well, almost 3 years later, I stopped in last night to see the man who ended my job. Not that he did it all himself, but he did draw the short straw in a manner of speaking and got to sit across the table from me and the others as we learned that day that our lives would be changing. I got to ask the question that had begun to bother me: what was that day like for him? I only had to go through one of the meetings; he had to give the bad news to many. Without even a pause to reflect, Jon said that it was the worst day of his corporate career. I can easily believe that. Today, looking back I can say that I am glad that our places were not switched. Why go to the man's house to bring up the past? Because people are not always thinking what we might imagine them to be thinking, and that goes both ways.

A person who has to deliver bad news to you or I might easily imagine that we would hold it against them forever. We as Christians should take the initiative to make sure they don't have to carry a burden like that. Just the presence of our smiling face might set someone at ease on an issue or question that has been smoldering away in the back of his or her mind. Letting a neighbor know that we are called to forgive and that bitterness is something we forcefully push away can ease a tension that has bothered him. Taking the initiative in this might not be easy.

We might easily wonder if that other fellow is going to growl and send his dogs to chase us away. We might think that the woman we parted with in anger is still holding tight to that anger just waiting for the chance to unleash the beast on us. We may be thinking correctly in some cases, but Jesus still leads us through His Spirit to make the effort at reconciliation. And I can tell you that reconciliation is a wonderful thing. A few demons were vanquished last night on both sides I think. It's time to finish these books and let 'em out into the world.

May God bless you as you walk with Jesus on this day,

Bucky

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