Me: Beautiful morning, Prodigal!
Prodigal: Thank you, I decided to take a walk and I am chatting with one of my neighbors.
Me: Good to stop and talk some time and just get to know the neighbors that you have.
Prodigal: Yeah, in fact I was just telling her about some of you stories.
Me: Well I do have a story about a community I could share.
Prodigal: We would both love to hear it!
In Dakota, Kathleen Norris writes: “A Benedictine sister from the Philippines once told me what her community did when some sisters took to the streets in the popular revolt against Marcos’ regime. Some did not think it proper for nuns to demonstrate in public, let alone risk arrest. In a group meeting that began and ended with prayer, the sisters who wished to continue demonstrating explained that this was for them a religious obligation; those who disapproved also had their say. Everyone spoke; everyone heard and gave counsel. “It was eventually decided that the nuns who were demonstrating should continue to do so; those who wished to express solidarity but were unable to march would prepare food and provide medical assistance to demonstrators, and those who disapproved would pray for everyone. The sisters laughed and said, “If one of the conservative sisters was praying that we young, crazy ones would come to our senses and stay off the streets that was okay. We were still a community.”
I like this story because it really shares what happens in many “communities”. Communities could mean work department, families, church, small group, neighborhood association and any organization that you attend. If you are around the same people long enough then you will find different opinions. How you handle this I believe is the true test of your character and who you really are. Who do you relate to in this story? Are you the demonstrator? Are you the behind the scenes support? Or are you praying that the crazy ones come to their senses? This story allowed people to serve in different ways and yet not disrupt unity. Can you allow someone to serve differently then you and realize that God will ultimately work it all out if you continue to seek his will in it all? See God decided in this story to allow some to demonstrate and some to pray and some to support. Sometimes I think instead of focusing on so much what God is telling others to do, we need to make sure we hear what God wants us to do and then follow through. We then allow the rest to fall in Gods hands!
2 John 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Jennifer Van Allen,
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
