aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent) (05/26/84)
Many of you probably remember my article a few months ago in which I came to
the conclusion that it was all right for us to need other people, because this
gave them an opportunity to imitate Christ by loving us. I have recently
realized another reason why it is good for us to need people: It gives US a
chance to become more like Christ, since we have to find (somewhere) the
courage to risk entrusting ourselves, opening ourselves, to humans who may
reject us, and who are perfectly free to do so -- which is what He did, in a
sense. He took the risk of entrusting Himself and the good news of His love
of people and power over sin into the hands of a bunch of imperfect human
beings -- and considering what some of these humans have done over the
centuries (including this one), Christ has probably, in some sense, been
deeply grieved; we have so often rejected Him and rejected many people He
wants us to carry His love to. He has told us His needs, in a sense; and we
have failed to meet them.
Of course this means that Christ can understand this area of our lives too.
It took courage to entrust Himself and His work to people. He also can
understand what it feels like when someone on whom we are counting fails to
meet our needs. Thus we can apply to Him when we need courage to reveal our
needs to people, and apply to Him again if we need consolation in times when
we have been rejected.
--
-- Jeff Sargent
{allegra|decvax|harpo|ihnp4|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
"...I've got to be where my spirit can run free..."