“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” – Ephesians 4:15 NIV
The summer solstice will occur on June 20th in Hastings this year. On that day we will have 15 hours and 35 minutes of sunlight. I love this time of year when the days are warm and the sun stays up until after 9:00 pm. But that experience is not universal. In the southern part of the world, it is winter right now, and the solstice will bring their shortest day of the year. For example, on June 20 the sun will set in Sydney, Australia at 4:53 pm. That’s quite a difference from Hastings.
We sometimes forget that depending on where someone is coming from their experience might be completely different from our own. I was reminded of that after a recent sermon when two women gave me some feedback. One said that the message was just what she needed to hear after a difficult week. She thanked me for the encouraging word. The other said that my words were insensitive to her situation and had caused her pain. Which one was right? They both were. As with the solstice, how my message was received was different for people coming from different places.
Of course, I would like all feedback to be positive and filled with compliments. But that would be neither helpful nor honest. I need to hear when my message connects and when it does not. I need to be reminded that the same words can be heard differently because everyone’s situation is different. And I need to be reminded to show a little grace – grace to others and grace to myself.
None of us is perfect. We all come from different places and we all experience things differently. But we are all in this together as God’s children. So let’s show each other grace. Speak the truth in love and be grateful for one another this week.
Peace,
Pastor Mark