07-20-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 20, 2023
Last Sunday, after worship, I grabbed a bite of lunch before coming back to the church for the big send-off—the youth mission trip. It was about 1:15pm, so only a little over an hour had passed since folks had left the Forum after worship. As I walked up the steps on the Library side, I walked through one of the thickest spiderwebs I had walked through in quite some time. All I could think about was how fast that spider had worked, doing so in 100+ degree weather and in about an hour's time. Of course, I was doing that funny "get the spiderweb off my face" dance that I’m sure many of you have done. As I got to my office, still picking some of the web from my hair, I got to thinking about how hard that little spider must have worked, only to have someone completely unaware of the work come along and destroy it.

It was sort of a metaphor for me of the impact "unawareness" has on our lives. How often have we stepped on someone’s toes (literally or, more often, figuratively) because we were completely unaware of the work someone else had done? Where have we caused damage simply because we did not perceive what had occurred prior to our arrival? Sadly, I have probably done that way too many times. Asking for forgiveness is probably an excellent starting point, but I am also praying for greater awareness when noticing is a possibility. I keep telling myself that my perception of any person’s life is always incomplete. What others value or what they believe has brought meaning to their lives may not be the same as mine. Or maybe there is a part of their personal story that has required a great deal of emotional energy, yet it’s something that has never even crossed my mind.
Because we are humans, even the best intentions and greatest awareness will still leave some damage in our wake. Again, asking for forgiveness is so important, but so is trying to understand someone else’s story and life experiences so as to do better next time. I am also trying to be gracious when I know others who caused me hurt did not know or understand my history or life experience. The Apostle Paul was always writing to communities of people who were bumping into each other simply because of unawareness, and generally these were folks who were really trying hard to follow Jesus. It takes a lot of work, but in the end, I still believe it is worth it.

I’m sure I have hurt others simply because I was not aware. Gracious God, if I can offer an apology and learn, please help me. And where I am still unaware of my unawareness, gently encourage my growth in understanding what I previously did not understand. Amen.