ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 28, 2022
I was streaming a show a few days ago, and there was a scene where one of the main characters confronted another character. The main character said, “You never said you were sorry! You never apologized! ” There was a lot of anger expressed by the main character, yet the other character, who was always a little bit of a jerk, began to offer a genuine apology. And it wasn’t an excuse for why it hadn’t come sooner, but an explanation of his own struggles to accept responsibility for the injury. Though the TV show is fiction, it reminded me how complicated life can be. Our best intentions are still shaped by the baggage we carry. No one is entirely free from such things, but we can work on it.
When I was serving the church in Florida, I would often walk over to a nearby strip mall to grab something for lunch. There was a car that was often parked right where I’d walk, and on it was a bumper sticker that said, “Give yourself a break while still holding yourself accountable.” Those two phrases appeared to be at odds, yet as I saw the bumper sticker again and again, I began to think of how two ideas that might appear to be incompatible with one another might in fact be seeking a balance within us. When Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” he might have been suggesting something similar. As we learn to love ourselves more, we are better able to love our neighbors. As we grow in our love for self, we are much more forgiving of ourselves and better able to relinquish the unhelpful and unhealthy baggage we are holding on to that is neither helpful for self or neighbor.
Provide me, O Merciful God, the capacity to show myself some kindness as I do the hard work of bettering myself. I want to be a work in progress, though no matter how little progress I make, I know I am one of your beloved. Amen.
