There is a post that’s been going around and it reads “We can still be friends if I leave your church, we’re not in gangs.”
It reminded me of more of my husbands wisdom…. Recently we attended an event.
I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew…. But there were two sets of people from years gone by that were there. We had lived through a lot of church life together. Good and bad.
The first group of people seen me first. They were no longer apart of any church. This guy was genuinely glad to see me! Came up and hugged my neck, and we would have chatted longer
if there had been more time but we were making our way into the event.
After the event there was more time to stand around and talk
but I didn’t see them again. But it felt good to know they were as glad to see me as I was them.
We stood to the side and suddenly I caught site of a small
group I recognized! My eyes lite up and I turned to Rob,
“Look! I have to catch up with them!”
Rob pulled me back and said ”No, you probably shouldn’t”
I turned away
from Rob and let my eyes follow them ….. and then I just had to make my way over to them. I heard Rob behind me “Monica you are setting yourself up for a big disappointment” I ignored him and waded literally through the thick crowd.
As I got closer one of them caught sight of me, and then looked back down at her phone while saying…. “Well look who is here”
No excitement in her eyes…. Matter of fact, I would say it was more of an inconvenience she had seen me. So it felt.
The one
beside her turned my way and said “why are you here? I told them…. And heard her say from a side ways glance “Yeah, we’re here for our _____” and they turned toward their little circle as if I were not there.
I awkwardly stood, and then made a slow turn wandering back through the crowd to Rob, as he had watched from across the room, “I was right wasn’t
I?” Tears stung my eyes so that I could not make out the faces of the people around me…. All I could think about was the rejection once again. I have been there when they became a part of the church. I had been there when they struggled with some
life situations. I had been there when this beautiful girl was prayed for. I had set at their kitchen table working on church functions. And my mind raced through the years of things that had taken place …..I was frantically thinking of where I might
have said or done something in “our” relationship that granted this? But in my heart I knew the common denominator to this pain. My heart hurt.
Yeah Rob, You were right. And I knew, but didn’t want to believe. Never have I had a cross word with these people…. I have great memories of our years together.
You see… people believe things they hear. And form opinions that were never theirs to own…. They took ownership of someone else’s mislead views. Views that are shared with a limited
amount of information only favorable to the story teller.
I shared this for a few reasons…. And one of them being …..
Those I was so excited to see were very identifiable in a crowd. Those who were glad to see me, not as identifiable by others, and so kind and genuine, they were not clothed in self righteousness.
Psalm 51:10
Communication is welcome here: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10161498540942079&set=a.488025452078