Re- highlighting: Confessions

Those claiming Christ can’t do enough to claim a brokenness. Yes, we also claim Healing. But I believe, by first confessing our brokenness, we strip away our pride, which leads to the hypocrisy so many ‘in’ and ‘out’ of church or organized Christianity are weary from.
A previous blog inspired be. Not because of what I wrote, but how it opened the door for two comments. I’ll be honest and admit, I like when people comment. But I like comments better when they seem from the heart. Check out that
previous blog.

I have two confessions today.
One. I have NOT been breeding peace in my life.
I believe that as a follower if Christ, I am an agent of reconciliation. I am to be an agent of peace. There is much precedence about biblical followers of Christ being called to reconcile and heal and be peaceful.
Acts 10- when G-d calls Peter to reconcile himself to those of another race. And later in Galatians when Paul scolds Peter for later leaving those racially reconciling relationships.
Jesus spent time healing the physically sick. Reconciling them to health. He saw holes in society where tax collectors, the crippled, the poor weren’t welcome at dinner tables. So he ate dinners with those very folks. Not to mention prophets spoke of his coming as when the “lion would lay down with the lamb.” I fear losing the audience at this point, so I’ll continue, but I’d encourage folks to search our the why and how followers of the Way can be peace-bringers.
Sooo as a follower, I’m a peace- bringer. And I have failed at that too much lately. If I can speak so boldly about needing to bring peace, yet I lose my temper with family, or yell at a fellow driver in the road, or bite my tongue, while in my heart, I curse someone. Whew! I am sorry. That is not peace. Or reconciliation. Or grace. Or non- violence.
I recognize this now. Will seek to more purposeful guard my heart ( for it IS the wellspring of life!) and mind.

Two. I have REALLY felt self-righteous in my judgement of wealthy people. It’s quite complicated for me. But my bias leans in favor of the poor over the rich. Also, the openly broken over the openly ‘together.’ I’m actively seeking to reconcile my judging heart to the cross of Grace and Truth. I’m weirdly pursuing a real relationship with some very wealthy Christians (anyone want to volunteer?) because by befriending someone that’s different than me, and befriending someone I struggle to judge and easily attach harmful labels to, perhaps I’ll see better. I’ll have real people to think of when I start to attach labels. And of course, when you walk close to humanity, you always get glimpses of the Creator, which helps me cherish the Created more.

I challenge you in this. Let us seek to be real and honest more often. Let us cultivate loving spaces where we invite people onto our porch and into that extra chair we have sitting next to us. There may we reconcile ourselves to other races, social classes, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and any other label we put on people to keep the ‘different’ out. There, may we confess that we judge each other, but seek to heal ourselves… Together.