a growing trend...

...or a better understanding of the love of Christ indwelling in us? following up to the post before this is a quote from the Transforming Sermons blog by a woman named Victoria Gaines:

"Understanding is a gift of grace. We won't get it from everybody, but sometimes that's all we need. Reprimands, isolation, and criticism never work for me, but a caring heart ministers deeply.

Too many times I've dispensed needless advice to a hurting friend when all she needed was a hug. Too many times I've misjudged a wrong attitude when it was just someone's fatigue talking. I'm learning to cut people slack and listen with the heart, realizing that our spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being are all intricately connected.

Listening with the heart takes practice. Discerning what a person needs {or doesn't need} comes as we're in tune with His Spirit. God always knows what we need. His Spirit will cultivate in us a compassionate, discerning, and caring heart. The more we experience His deeply personal ministry to us, the more we're able to comfort and understand others."

suffering is not hard to come by these days. any number of our friends are hurting from lost jobs, difficult family circumstances, life stage transitions, relational conflicts, battles with personal sin. if you think about it, it's the way of laziness that throws Luke 12, Philippians 4 at them and in essence says, "don't worry. you don't really get 'it' if you do." what's gained by crushing already bruised reeds? the real battle is fought with sweat and tears, in working these God-given truths out in real time, real life.

"What mystery of grace that God should allow me to take up the sword to battle being such a child"--Jim Elliot.

What a mysterious act of grace that God allows us to take up arms and fight alongside each other. We do an incredible disservice to one another when we pat a wounded soldier on the back and leave him floundering by himself in the middle of a spiritual war against sin. the victory's won by Christ! we need to push each other on towards this hope and light. i wish i knew this in college.