Some years ago – about 20 – my sister came to speak with me about a particular teaching she could see me disappearing down the trail of – and she was concerned. I was ironing and she was making cuppas I think, when she began the topic she wanted to discuss.
I did not quit that teaching as a result of her visit.
But the way she came gave me no excuse to quit my relationship with her either.
She came in love, having prayed up thoroughly, with a book to leave me (which I never read) and probably some notes of her own to take me through.
And I wasn’t particularly grateful.
But I wasn’t angry either.
I just passed it off as being ‘a bit over the top’ and somewhat annoying not to be met with agreement at all turns – and then we didn’t talk about it again for several years.
She didn’t use every time she saw me as an opportunity to add something more to her case. We just continued our usual sisterly friendship.
The problem was, that from that point on I kept hearing other things, totally disconnected from her orbit, that upheld the information she’d put to me. I wasn’t very pleased but slowly slowly I began to consider the viewpoint she’d offered and over a period of time came to totally agree with the opposite opinion to the one I’d once held.
If she’d come to me in superiority, with ridicule, anger or sarcasm – I’d have dug myself in to a defensive position, but as I said, she gave me no cause to do that.
She came with an understanding of needing to hold out truth and grace to me. She came speaking the truth in love.
She came valuing our relationship enough to speak in kindness while valuing the importance of unmuddied truth as foundational to a healthily maturing spiritual walk.
So maybe I did quit that teaching as a result of her visit. She planted some seeds that others watered and God eventually harvested. You see she also did something else pretty awesome that day…
She recognised the direction of my heart was toward the Lord.
She saw my footsteps taking me on a detour.
She put action to her concern.
She came in love, with truth and grace
and
… she gave me grace to grow.