Monday; April 27

One of the most important things I have realized over the last few weeks is the value of human relationships.  I think we all had an understanding of this going into the modern crisis, but the concept of “social distancing” has brought it into focus.  Honestly, it might sound better to call it “physical distancing”, but the truth of the matter is that without physical contact and physical proximity, relationships are going to suffer.  Additionally, I have recently become keenly aware of how easy it is to lose those relationships – not just because of a lack of interaction but because of negative interactions.  When we are divided by social distances, when we are on edge about changing circumstances, when our emotions are power-packed but our feelings are razor-thin, conflicts become more possible.  During challenging times, tolerance becomes more necessary; but is less reliable.  One group especially impacted by this are “people pleasures”.  Many of you know exactly what I mean, but if you aren’t familiar with us, we people pleasures do not like conflict, in fact we will do whatever it takes to make peace.  We will stuff our opinions to avoid offending others.  On the outside, we convey an easygoing nature, but our insides are filled with the stress of hoping that we don’t get on someone’s bad side – or even more disheartening – that we offend others.  If you aren’t one of us, this may not make sense, but if you are, I imagine the last few weeks has created unprecedented emotional turmoil.
As I was thinking about this the other day, I was drawn to an old hymn by C. Maud Battersby called “An Evening Prayer”.  The first line of the song is, “If I have wounded any soul today, If I have caused one foot to go astray, If I have walked in my own willful way, Dear Lord, forgive!”.  How do we people-pleasers maintain our sanity – especially during times of chaos and crisis?  The best way is to accept forgiveness; not just from those with whom we interact, but also from ourselves and our God.  Let’s do the best we can to promote peace and understanding, then turn the results over to God.  He knows our hearts – and if they are pure, we are going to be okay.
         Think About It!

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