I’m proposing something to you. Are you ready?
Someone had placed flowers in this bronze runner’s hand.
Only in relationships and community with people DIFFERENT than ourselves can we see who we really are. I write to you not from a place of having arrived but from a place of fighting. This is something I am actively walking out with God each day. The length of which I anticipate taking a lifetime. Ever notice pride being so quick to pogo-stick smack-dab into the middle of your relationships? Competition vies for center stage too as values are assigned to actions different than our normal—needing to decide “whos way is BETTER?”. And let’s not forget comparison coming in close behind! Ranking yourself based on who is the fastest, smartest, any—“est”.
Slow and steady. Slow and steady.
All these emotions—pride, competitive spirit and comparison–I’ve found myself staring at face to face from the dark recesses of my heart. Those places you prefer not to look. You know the ones. And? Let me tell you it isn’t a lot of fun to look there! I couldn’t see those emotions by myself. I needed someone different in my life to create contrast with my normal. And? I’m immensely thankful that God doesn’t leave us where we are at—that He loves us enough to continue refining us. Daily I am reminded how much I need God’s grace and forgiveness.
Forgiveness is tremendously sweet, isn’t it?
And sometimes your inside stuff is on the outside.