Tuesday nights, as I had set my new year resolution this day, was to be a "dinner with friends" night. And so I was out with a girlfriend for dinner -- a time of a heart-to-heart sister talk. When it was planned many weeks earlier, I had thought that this meet up would be a light hearted one, sharing about little dreams (some may say castles in the clouds) and happy stuff. Little did I expect that circumstances would take such a (drastic) turn in our lives that the meet-up had felt as though it would be a solemn one. I had been going through some bad times, while she, on the other hand, was also going through some rather rough patch too.
So we met, found a nice eating place, sat down and ordered our dinner. We chatted about casual stuff as the food arrived and then we just as we were about to ease into deeper sharing, the conversation came to a halt. "Life's been difficult huh? Wanna talk about it?" I asked, and she stopped short, apparently with a reply already pre-determined in her mind prior to our meeting up, and said curtly "Sorry, cannot. Cannot talk about it."
Ok, so she didn't and couldn't talk about the tough part of her life. And neither would I want to go into details about the series of unfortunate events in my life.
Our heads bent towards the rice on our plate and we began to tuck into our food. After about 5 silent mouthfuls of rice, I was quietly comforted in my heart to have a dear sister's presence by my side enjoying a meal together. I didn't think it was an awkward silence. In fact, I was enjoying the unusual warmth of camaraderie that someone would share my sorrow in her sorrow together. Then without a warning, she broke the silence "Are we going to spend all night eating quietly and not talking to each other?"
I lifted my head up and our eyes met for a split second and we laughed. "No, that's not what we wanted to do, but I really did enjoy each other's company." How precious is a friendship which can withstand silence without any awkward breaks.
"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."- Helen Keller
************************************************************************************
Thought today's article on Our Daily Journey might encourage some folks:
"Snuggling under the thick bedspread on a cold night, I tucked the blankets up to my face and tried to go back to sleep. But the comfort of a warm bed couldn’t chase away my unsettling dream. Learning the hard way that relationships within the church are nothing short of complicated, I was obviously trying to work out my hurt in my sleep. Betrayal is a strong word, but I felt manipulated, lied to, and deeply misunderstood. Tired of trying to take the high road, my dream revealed my heart: I wanted to be vindicated.
Releasing our right to be justified is certainly one of those “rubber meets the road” moments of our faith. We can try to take control and refuse to be denied our definition of justice, or we can let go and entrust ourselves to a Savior who “understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). No one likes to be misunderstood. No one likes to stand by and let it happen. Yet Jesus embraced His betrayal because He knew God is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). Psalm 119:165 says, “Those who love Your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.” Jesus endured betrayal and mockery for two reasons. He loved the Father, and He loved us. In moments of great charity, the simplicity of the two greatest commandments seem within our reach (Matthew 22:37-39). With the sting of betrayal in our heart, however, we wonder how it can be done.
That’s where the high road—a painful place where self dies—comes into play. True life abounds when we live out the grace God has shown to us. Will we choose our human vindication or His divine forgiveness? We can’t have both (Matthew 6:14-15)."
But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against Him, Jesus remained silent (v.12).
He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly
No comments:
Post a Comment