I have been reminiscing, a little, on past friends and people I have known or been acquainted with. A number of them, by the Spirit, have left a lasting imprint on my heart and life.
I really think this includes more than just those I remember, or that stand out to me. It includes all those with whom we have a kind of Christ-encounter with. Those in whom we catch something of a glimpse of the beauty of the Lord.
I think of pastors, a lady teacher and friend, a lady Sunday school teacher I had as a boy. And people I know today.
In our communal following of Christ, we need to think about what imprints our lives might be leaving on the hearts of others. And how, by the Spirit- in the love, grace and truth of Christ, we can be a blessing in this way to others.
John along with his brother James were called, "sons of thunder", by our Lord. But we know that John became "the apostle of love". Certainly the love and truth of God in Christ was at the heart of John's thought as evident in his letters: 1,2,3 John. God, through the imprint of Christ on his heart, changed his life. How does Christ do that today? Through his brothers and sisters. Through his Body, the church.
I want to add that bloggers I've had some fellowship with, have made an impact and imprint on my heart. These are people who came and made a comment on a post, probably more than anything else, to be an encouragement and friend to me. And whose own life, in their honesty, humility and pursuit of communion in God, has really left its own imprint on my heart.
Do we think to pray for each other, as bloggers and people? It would be good to get into the habit of doing that, as we blog. And of course, to be doing that for others in our lives. That we would be a blessing to each other, in this way.
Of course we need to be working at becoming people of prayer and in Scripture. In communion with God. The kind that would bring all others in, to that same communion. In song. In love. In fun. In listening. In prayer. In much patience at times (and that's a two way street, we know). In forgiving. In delighting in the good we see in others. In praising our God together.
What about you? What imprints have others left on your life? Or what would you like to share here?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Ted
A very good post. Your encouragement -
Do we think to pray for each other, as bloggers and people? It would be good to get into the habit of doing that, as we blog.
To pray as we blog. I suspect it's not something most bloggers (like me) think about.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Andre, Thanks.
Yes. This seems to be a way that God is working on me to develop my prayer life. Kind of like a pray as you go, thing. Ha.
But really, what more important act can we do for each other? We all "know" this. So we need to learn to act more on it. I know I do.
Ted,
I love the communion I have with other bloggers! I think virtual friendships can be powerful, well, I know they are. One of the things I do specifically is to pray for those whose blogs I visit when I visit. Then if they mention something personal that sounds like they want prayer for a specific issue, I contact them through email and mention I will pray for them.
Blogging as prayer. Praying for other bloggers. It seems so simple, but you are the first person I have heard articulate that thought.
Dan, Yes. I agree. I've read criticism on limitations of blogging. But what kind of communion do people have in person? It can be very good. But I think blogging sometimes allows people to be more immediately, upfront, real. And this helps towards real communion.
And your prayer practice is commendable and a great example for me.
Thanks.
Mark, I wouldn't be surprised if I haven't read that before somewhere in the blogworld. Most of what we need is simple. Yet profound, of course.
Ted,
I can look in retrospect at the past where others have left imprints on my heart. When I was lost, there were many people Christians and not who showed the grace of God toward me. I will list some interesting examples of them here:
*Guy at a truck stop in Arizona who bought our little TV from us not because he needed it, but because he had compassion on us when we were broke.
*My 7th grade English teacher who always encourage me and acted as if everything I wrote for her was great.
*My 12th grade American Lit. teacher who always let me come in his classroom during lunch to talk about books, writing, and treated me like a "grown-up," even when everyone else treated me like one of the unpopular kids (which I was).
*People who gave us groceries at churches when we had no food.
*God's Kitchen who fed me a couple of year in a row at Thanksgiving.
*People who let me paint signs for meals when we had nothing traveling along Route 66.
*God, who loved me even when I waved an angry fist at Him and told him that I'd do things my own way.
*My parents: When I had lied to, stolen from, and abused their kindness without shame or regret until later--
**Basicly, anyone who showed grace toward me when I REALLY didn't deserve it.
Wendy, Thanks so much for sharing those great examples!
Isn't it kind of like a good infection, something we catch from others? As we're extended God's love, even when not deserving, we in turn learn, in God's grace in Christ, to do the same.
Post a Comment