I am finding that I am learning lessons from the craziest things; and some of those same lessons are from some very sad situations. A couple of weeks ago when I got up and showered for the day, I noticed that I needed some more deodorant. Over time the stick had dwindled and was almost gone. I went into the living room and put my hearing aids in (Linda calls them “earrings). I realized that the batteries were dead and needed replaced. I sat down and got online to “read” the newspaper; When I got up to get some breakfast, my knees crackled and my back had a little twitch. It seemed that everything around me had deteriorated.
That same thing happens with marriages and churches. At times things are great and then it seems that over time a little confusion sets in, things need to be re-energized. In churches what starts out as excitement for a great future, tends to fall into a place where there seems to be a chasm between leadership and members. That chasm comes because of multiple reasons but many times it is because of a lack of communication between the two groups. That communication problem goes both ways and usually happens when it appears that both group’s either refuses to talk or listen to the other group.
In marriages, what starts out as a beautiful event, romantic dinners for two and exciting 2-3 day mini vacations mixed with a lot of romance tends to dwindle into late night TV, comments about whose snoring keeps who awake, and what’s for breakfast depends on what each of you, on your own, find in the fridge or the pantry.
In my physical life, I have to be in therapy so my body will not deteriorate into a mess. I have to brush my teeth so that what teeth I have left will not fall out of my head or have to be helped out of my head. I have to take certain drugs to keep my systems functioning properly.
As with my physical body, churches and marriages have to stay involved in “therapy”. That therapy is called “encouragement”. The Hebrew writer said it this way: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us ENCOURAGE one another…” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
If there is no encouragement in your marriage it will be a miserable life. If there is no encouragement in churches it will be a miserable life. A lack of encouragement will drain any group of people.
My marriage will probably still have some disagreements over dirty dishes in the sink and garbage by the back door, but as long as we encourage one another and not gripe and complain about each other, our marriage will be on solid ground.
A church will never outgrow a few disagreements on methods and opinions, but with constant encouraging of each other, it will be on solid ground and withstand all the bumps along the way. So, Linda. I love you dearly and you are the one reason that makes this life worth staying around for. When was the last time, we said something like that to someone at church?
David Myers