Experiencing....

Romans 5.3-5 (The Message)

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.

I have become more and more convinced that experience, first-hand accounts, have a unique power to change us tremendously. It can alter our thinking, our perceptions, our roles, and how we move forward interacting with the world and one another. While it is certainly true that we can learn in other ways (and I would never discount that truth), for me experience is a game-changer because it moves me from generalities to specifics.

I met “Charles” a few years ago. He happened to walk into the church one Monday. I had my usual to-do list sitting on my desk, and I was busy check-marking each item as done when a knock on my door got my attention. Charles asked if I had a moment, and I said “sure” and invited him to sit. I rounded my desk and sat in a chair opposite him and asked, “So what brings you here today?” What I initially thought of as an interruption from “someone” became Charles who was just trying to figure things out and needed to talk with someone. My experience moved him from a stranger in my mind to a partner in living faithfully in all life’s circumstances.

Our “faithing” not only includes our witness but also our experiences. Sunday, we will be “faithing” again noticing how experiences matter!

Grace and peace,
Rev. Brian