Living in the Spirit
August 2, 2018
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the 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 all. –Ephesians 4:1-5
Our reputation proceeds us and in many instances, our family’s reputation at least sits the stage for how others perceive us. While state employees by rule were hired via a merit system when I applied to work for Oklahoma many years ago, the reality was that if a local political power did not support you, you most likely did not get the job. I had never even met my state senator when I went to his office to ask for his support. He was very gracious and invited me into his office. Hearing my last name, he asked my lineage. After naming my father, he immediately said he had known my grandfather well. The senators said my grandfather was one of the finest men he had ever known. The Senator was one up on me as my grandfather died before I was born. We chatted about some fishing experiences he and one of my uncles had. I really do not recall much discussion about me at all. I left his office and drove the 15 miles home to my family’s farm. My mother met me at the door with the news that the state agency had called and I was to start to work the next day.
A few years later as a child welfare worker, I approached the local judge asking for an order to remove a 13-year-old girl from her home. She was being sexually abused by family members. The judge signed the order. Handing it to me, he said I signed this and you can see what you can do but I have known that family all my life and they are just no good. I knew the family’s dysfunction all too well but I was not ready to give up on the child. I was not around long enough to see if our intervention did any good, but I learned an important lesson about how the world shapes us and how hard it can be to step away from our histories.
How we live our life’s, how we love one another, as declared followers of Christ reflects for better or worse in our society on people’s attitudes toward Christ. On the other hand, Jesus Christ took on all the negatives defaming or limiting all of God’s children so that they inherited the new reputation of one who was without blame.
Prayer: Lord, help us to see others through your eyes. Amen.