"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7 (NKJV)
What does it mean to walk in the light? How do we apply this powerful truth in the mundane ups and downs of life? For our family, the past week has been full of trials, tribulations, challenges and disappointments. In the midst of circumstances that were completely out of our control, we faced some very painful relational issues with folks that we love dearly. Our experience with conflict has shown that if we bared our souls, we'd likely be ridiculed, blamed, accused. In the past when we've expressed the hurt we feel in a given situation, instead of an apology, we've been given a list of things that we were at fault for. It makes a person leery. And in this situation, both D and I were aching. The relationships at stake are ones that mean so much to us. They are with folks that we see as leaders and mentors, ones who are truly on the right path, striving to become more like Jesus everyday. Still...our nerves were on edge and we didn't know for sure if we could trust the deepest parts of our souls...after all, they were only human...maybe they would hurt us deeper and we'd be left to pick up the pieces.
The verse from 1 John kept coming to mind and I shared it with D. "IF we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." So often the Word has conditional statements...IF...THEN...The converse says that if we do not walk in the light, then we will not have fellowship. I am weary of pretending. I am finished with faking. If we are the Body of Christ, we should be loving, forgiving, baring our souls and caring for one another. Sadly, so much of the world creeps into the church, while very little of the church spills out into the world. THIS SHOULD NOT BE SO. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to be IN and not OF the world. As I brought this verse to D, I begged him to seek the reconciliation that we both longed for. I also begged him to do it in timely fashion, so that the gap in relationship didn't need to grow wider. A few days later, he did just that and we were both blown away by the peace that came. D simply shared the feelings he was having, didn't make accusations or attack. The result was beautiful. Both parties apologized (sincerely and not in a patronizing fashion) and what we found out in the process is that these folks do love us, do desire relationships of depths and do want to walk in ministry with us. Before the conversations, we were believing all kinds of lies and making a plan to run for our lives. This situation could have ended in broken relationship, but instead, the Lord allowed us to go to a whole new level of intimacy with Himself and each other. IF we walk in the light as He is in the light...THEN we have fellowship with one another.
The other invaluable lesson in all this was seeing the model of brokenness and humility in our leaders. In the future, when others approach us with hurts that we've caused, we will be able to remember the care that we were given. In the same way that we were heard, we must listen to others. I am so blessed that I can be in right and true relationship with people who want to grow in Christ likeness. Make us more like You, Jesus!
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