If They Would Just...
It is not unusual to observe other people with whom we disagree or who might find themselves struggling with one thing or another and think to ourselves, “If they would just…….then things would be different.” If they would just…understand this concept better. If they would just…think more like me. If they would just…support the correct candidate. If they would just…get a better education. If they would just…make better life choices.
Rarely are situations as simple as statements like these assume. In reality “If they would just…” statements are often more about our own biases then about any observable truth that could or should be applied.
Author and speaker Richard Beck suggests a way to work through differences rather than to dismiss those with whom we differ.
What if we lived our lives, especially when it comes to neighborhoods and churches, as if we could never move? What conversations would we have that would be different? What issues would we work through or simply get over instead of running or casting dispersions?
Reorienting ourselves to be messengers of blessing is what Jesus instructs his disciples to do when they are in the midst of quarreling over which of them was the greatest. Michael Frost, in his book ‘Surprise the World’ stresses the need to bless at least three people every week, at least one of whom is not in your church community. These acts of blessing change us as much as they offer acts of love to others as we are forced to take our eyes off of ourselves.
Sharing blessings does not have to be onerous, difficult, or time consuming. Below are some suggestions suggested in a blog post by Amy Schenkel I occasionally read.
Word of Affirmation: Write a note of encouragement to someone in leadership, or sporadically text a word of affirmation to a friend.
Act of Service: Offer assistance to a neighbor with yard work, entertain a family’s children to give weary parents a brief respite.
Gift Giving: Bake something to be given away, pay for the meal of someone behind you in the drive through, cut some flowers to give to someone just for the heck of it.
Time: Take a walk with a friend, invite someone over for coffee, read to a neighborhood child
Find your own means of being a blessing, making an effort to be transformed from thinking “If they would just…” to “I wonder what I could do to make that person’s day?”
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Dan Kreiss, RPC’s Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, brings with him a heart for service and a diverse array of experiences in the mission field. Be sure to subscribe to the Mission Outreach Blog to read and follow along as he documents his personal journey and shares his vision for RPC’s mission outreach commitment. Along with providing meaningful resources, this blog will help jumpstart the important conversations our church community must be having about missional living.
Dan Kreiss
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss is the Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach at RPC. Dan is particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in its surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education and economic status.