What is church?
On Monday last week I began a study of the gospel of Matthew. I have often used various versions of The Life Application Bible in my study as they can offer some interesting ways of looking at the text. One of the features of this Bible is that provides profiles on several bible characters and Monday’s was Joseph. One part of his profile that stood out for me was where it said of Joseph, ‘he not only tried to do what was right, he also tried to do it the right way’. He managed this by listening to the Lord and doing what he said. It is important to note that Joseph was only aware of two options in dealing with Mary’s pregnancy. To divorce her publicly, shaming her; or to do things quietly and protect her. The Lord provided him with a third, and best option. Marry her.
The week that followed was one of the hardest ones I have had in my current job. By the end of the month and for differing reasons I would see five members of staff leave, some with understandable and justifiable anger. I was angry myself but did not realise how much.
Thankfully the message the Lord gave me at the start of the week slowed me down. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed and in truth seeking my own version of justice I called John to discuss the situation. We had a ten-minute conversation on the phone in which he advised me to slow down and not act immediately. I had visions of triggering all sorts of actions, so this was good advice. I had also called Stephen who called me back several times before I got back to him. There were two specific aspects of what was going on that were causing me problems. Again, I had another ten-minute conversation where Stephen advised me to put my priorities right. In short, the people I helped to care for were the most important thing, so whatever I did must make sure they were well looked after. Things had started to calm down.
I shortly received a text from Tim who offered to meet with me on the Friday night. When we met, I was starting to feel like I had more of a handle on the situation. David also arrived and we watched a lacklustre England rugby game together. During the game I discussed with Tim and David the situation at work. Tim in effect pointed out that I was making myself more responsible for things than I should do. He also suggested a way to discharge my responsibility from the second part of the problem I was facing. This really took the pressure off. The game ended (England won) and Tim returned home.
David and I remained a little longer. David, I have learnt, you can vent to in a completely raw way. So, I did. What I discovered, but which should not have been a surprise, was that I was angry, very, very angry and I wanted my version of justice done. David was good enough to point this out. It was this anger that was driving my other behaviours, the decisions I had wanted to make. It was what the situation had caused to come out in my temperament mix.
The next day I met Stephen for a coffee. We discussed the week further. Stephen said it was good that I had realised I was angry this quickly. He rightly suggested that I deal with this anger quickly. Knowing what was going on and being confident of the right solutions had already gone a long way to settling me down. I met John for lunch who asked how things were going. I told him that I felt I had a handle on the situation and did not feel anywhere near as bad as I did. In his usual way he responded with ‘Good. We can just enjoy our lunch then’.
What is church? It is a group of people who seek and hear the Lord; And who help each other to seek and hear the Lord also. It’s what last week looked like to me.
The week that followed was one of the hardest ones I have had in my current job. By the end of the month and for differing reasons I would see five members of staff leave, some with understandable and justifiable anger. I was angry myself but did not realise how much.
Thankfully the message the Lord gave me at the start of the week slowed me down. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed and in truth seeking my own version of justice I called John to discuss the situation. We had a ten-minute conversation on the phone in which he advised me to slow down and not act immediately. I had visions of triggering all sorts of actions, so this was good advice. I had also called Stephen who called me back several times before I got back to him. There were two specific aspects of what was going on that were causing me problems. Again, I had another ten-minute conversation where Stephen advised me to put my priorities right. In short, the people I helped to care for were the most important thing, so whatever I did must make sure they were well looked after. Things had started to calm down.
I shortly received a text from Tim who offered to meet with me on the Friday night. When we met, I was starting to feel like I had more of a handle on the situation. David also arrived and we watched a lacklustre England rugby game together. During the game I discussed with Tim and David the situation at work. Tim in effect pointed out that I was making myself more responsible for things than I should do. He also suggested a way to discharge my responsibility from the second part of the problem I was facing. This really took the pressure off. The game ended (England won) and Tim returned home.
David and I remained a little longer. David, I have learnt, you can vent to in a completely raw way. So, I did. What I discovered, but which should not have been a surprise, was that I was angry, very, very angry and I wanted my version of justice done. David was good enough to point this out. It was this anger that was driving my other behaviours, the decisions I had wanted to make. It was what the situation had caused to come out in my temperament mix.
The next day I met Stephen for a coffee. We discussed the week further. Stephen said it was good that I had realised I was angry this quickly. He rightly suggested that I deal with this anger quickly. Knowing what was going on and being confident of the right solutions had already gone a long way to settling me down. I met John for lunch who asked how things were going. I told him that I felt I had a handle on the situation and did not feel anywhere near as bad as I did. In his usual way he responded with ‘Good. We can just enjoy our lunch then’.
What is church? It is a group of people who seek and hear the Lord; And who help each other to seek and hear the Lord also. It’s what last week looked like to me.
Andy
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