Heavy Hearted by Susan L.

  I just drafted a couple of the toughest letters I've ever written. My heart is heavy because they even needed to be. One was to the elders of the church. The other to my Bible study group.
  My church family is experiencing some growing pains. Since the sudden passing of our pastor nearly two years ago, we have been rudderless and somewhat lost. Recently, a new direction was chosen by a member majority vote which has created a terrible rift. Some have elected to stay while others feel led to go elsewhere.
  I am terribly grieved by the animosity this has generated. Perhaps I am a bit of a dreamer because in a perfect world, we could all shake hands and wish each other well. We could continue to greet each other in the streets with an enthusiastic "Hi! So glad to see you! How are you? Haven't seen you in a dogs age! Do you have time to grab a coffee so we can catch up?"
  Isn't that how it's supposed to be for followers of Christ anyways?
  A place to worship is just a building. We are the body of Christ. We are the church.
  Far too much of my life was spent in a hateful, malicious environment. It's ugly. It's heartbreaking. It's sucks the joy out of life like a bloodthirsty vampire that is never satisfied.
  Maybe that's why I expect so much from this life with Christ as my cornerstone. Maybe that's why I hoped it would be different, being surrounded by those who follow Jesus. Yet religious differences have a way of tearing us apart.
  Oh, humanity. It always gets in the way.
  There is only one person to blame. The devil is absolutely delighted by all this. Divide and conquer is his motto and the greatest weapon against us. If we cannot overlook our differences, if we cannot be filled with grace and love towards each other. He has already won.
  I am not willing to let that happen but then, it isn't really up to me. Despite a brave attempt to shine a light in the darkness via a couple of candid yet troubled letters, I can only hold myself accountable for my own choices. God willing, they are the right ones. God forgive me if they are not.
  "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Eph 4:1-6