One Liners

I recently read a book and these are one liners in there I loved..........................

"There's nothing worse than silence, strung like heavy beads on too delicate a conversation."

"When you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

"There is a Murphy's Law to oncology, one which is not written anywhere but held in widespread belief: if you don't get sick, you won't get well."

"He smiles at me, and I suddenly am seventeen again---the year I realized love doesn't follow the rules, the year I understood that nothing is worth having so much as something unattainable."

"............whom I have not seen in fifteen years. Her hair is longer now, and fine lines bracket her mouth, parentheses around a lifetime of words I was not around to hear."

"I nod. But it feels like we are sitting on the tight bench of a bus with a stranger between us, one that neither of us is willing to admit to or mention, and so we find ourselves talking around him and through him and sneaking glances when the other one isn't looking."

"Life sometimes gets so bogged down in the details, you forget you are living it."

Mediation

We all probably have played the role of mediator in one situation or another: breaking up a quarrel among children who are saying "she said this..........he said that...........she did this.........he did that" , among classmates in school, among our siblings, or maybe our parents!!, or even church friends arguing over various opinions on a committee. You can imagine your own scenario.

This morning I was reading in 1 Kings 17-19 about Elijah, the prophet to Israel (the Northern Kingdom), and was struck by the role he had to play as mediator between God and various people in Israel....... from a widow, to the king and queen, to the masses!!!

Recently I have become more familiar with the whole world of mediation, in a "professional sense". And there are some observations I made, that I see over and over in Scripture (not necessarily in order of importance).
1) the role of the mediator is to communicate each view to the other person or persons, impartially and accurately.
2) the necessity on the part of the mediator is to listen, being quick to listen and slow to speak
3) the goal of mediation IS NOT the happiness of the individuals who are in conflict
4) the goal of mediation IS to bring the parties involved to a decision they are willing to "live with" from then on
5) sometimes in mediation there is the need for an advocate, someone who knows my situation or position and can represent that to others for me
6) peace comes about through sacrifice
7) sometimes the mediation does not succeed because the opposing parties are not willing to see the true value of the required terms for peace

So, what has blessed me in all of this has been what I have seen in Scripture about how God is always revealing to us insights into Who He is through practical illustrations. 1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is only one God and one Mediator Who can reconcile God and people. He is the Man Christ Jesus." So Jesus has the role of communicating back and forth both positions between the opposing parties, God and all of us.

The next thing I saw was 1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Now Jesus not only mediates for reconciliation, but also pleads for us before the Father.

And then this is what impressed me the most!! He not only communicates to me what the Father expects me to "live with" to be in harmony with Him and no longer at odds, and even pleads with the Father my condition.............but 2 Cor 5:21 "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ!" That is an astounding truth. He is the mediator, the advocate, and the agent of reconciliation or the actual terms of making the peace possible!!

Back to my experience of the mediation process..........there was the mediator, and there were advocates for the various people on either side of the issue, but the peace that was made was not done by the mediator nor the advocate. They were not willing, in and of themselves, to fulfill the terms necessary for peace. It would have been too costly for them. Peace is always achieved by the sacrifice of someone.

If the terms of peace are rejected, the cost for one or both parties could be a devastating decision.

Ephesians tells us that He Himself is our Peace!!! Now that is GRACE!! Hallelujah!! What a Savior!!

Passageways

Isn't it strange to think about passageways? I really have not spent much time there........until today!! And for some reason, I looked at the doorways in my house as I was going from room to room to do various tasks in the different rooms. Some tasks were connected from room to room, but mostly, each room had its own task to be done.

For instance, going from the hall into one of the bedrooms..........which usually has the purpose of people sleeping in there, lately mostly grandchildren!! Once in awhile, some extra guests come along and so it sort of serves as a Bed 'n Breakfast sort of deal. But most recently, it has been my "Norma Rae's Sweat Shop"...........a named coined by Monty when I am doing hours(days) of sewing. {If you haven't seen Sally Field's Oscar performance as Norma Rae, check it out!}

But, back to my topic at hand.......passageways!!

I think my thoughts have been something like this. We don't stay in passageways!! They lead us to something else where more time will be spent than in the passageway! I sort of feel like our family has been in a passageway with Gwyneth for the past 9 months and now we are in the "room" called "Divorced"!

This is an unfamiliar place for all of us, but most obviously for Gwyneth and her children. For these past months, it felt like we were stuck in a passageway that was taking us from the known to the unknown..............on many levels. So many thoughts, musings, questions, tears, prayers, actions/reactions, waiting, seeking wisdom ~ all took place in that passageway!! And now she, they .......we, her family and friends, are doing life together in a new room.

The phrase that keeps coming to my mind about the many extremely hard times in that passageway is "This too shall pass!" When you are stuck in a passageway, it seems as though it is going to be like this forever!

I admire Gwyneth for her steadfast trust in the LORD to complete what He had begun in her last August 9th, when she first entered that passageway that would take her from married to divorced. She knew what God was saying to her and she never doubted His voice. And two days ago, He so emphatically confirmed His Word to her when she moved out of the passageway and into the new room where He is going to make Himself known to her in new ways. In time, He may reveal some of the ways that has been for her good and for His glory. Already she has seen the goodness of His timing and is thankful for that.

We have all experienced the blessing of the Body of Christ coming together in prayer, in ministering, in sharing, in giving, in counseling, in bearing one another's burdens on so many levels. And for that we are so grateful. Divorce does not happen just to the two people, it happens to families...............and the family of Christ Jesus.

And until He takes us home to be with Him we live in a passageway!