Looking in the Mirror

My Mom is dying.  It’s not unexpected since she has fought Alzheimer’s for 15 years.  My Mother and I were not very close.  As a child something traumatic happened to her (she would never talk about it) and it made it difficult for her to mother her kids when she was an adult.  Children have no idea what to expect from life.  They are learning as they go so I didn’t know I was missing a warmly affectionate Mom.  To this day, I cannot imagine what that would be like?

This gap (the emotionally missing Mom) was a huge handicap for me to overcome.  Especially since for the longest time I didn’t even know I HAD an emotional handicap.  It was tough getting dates in High School.  No sensible girl wants to date an excessively needy guy.  I am still grateful to the small number of girls who gave me a try.

Since those days, I’ve come to understand that all of us are handicapped to some extent (primarily because of sin.)  As I said earlier, most of us aren’t even aware of it and don’t want to know.  It sounds like criticism.  “Don’t you see?  You are wrong!”  “No. I don’t see!  You are wrong that I am wrong.”  It seems to me that no two people share precisely the same set of blind spots.  So maybe it would be wise to listen to someone who tells us where ours are located.

Here is the problem.  I don’t like being told by people I don’t like.  If you want to touch a tender place in my soul, I need to know that you love me first.  Then maybe I will listen.

Being a person who is consulted regularly for advice on life’s problems (Pastor’s are supposed to know the answers), it would serve me well to remember that I must earn the right to be listened to.  Also, I can’t see beyond my own understanding and….I could be wrong.

There is a potent, invisible, supernatural world around us and a bunch of things we don’t know.  For all of us there are things we don’t see.  I want to see them.  I think….

I Corinthians 13  12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. (NASB)

 

PS:  I discovered recently that there is a spam filter on this thing.  Some of you made legitimate comments that were not posted.  I’m sorry.  I’ve fixed it for the future

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