Welcome to all readers!! God directed you to this blog for encouragement today. I feel that most readers will be able to relate to the topic, but first let me tell you about a dream I had last night.
When I woke up I had to think twice about what I had just experienced. Was it real or just a dream? A fellow church lady came up to me and asked where all the ladies were. It was lunch time and no one could be found. It would have been super nice to have enjoyed the meal with friends, enjoying nice conversations and catching up on each other's families. And sharing meal suggestions, coupons, the latest chick flick, etc, would have been warming and comfortable. It would seem that this church has cliques. Does my dream sound familiar?
So I started to brain storm about cliques. First of all, what is a clique? It is a small, exclusive circle of people. And what is the opposite of clique? That would be excluded. Exclude means to refuse to admit, consider, etc; reject. There's that nasty word: reject! We usuallly observe this as a problem for women but men are also excluded from the cliques. My own husband has felt the sharp pain of exclusion from men, and these were men at church. Cliques occur at home, work, school, high-end department stores, etc. I feel we even exclude ourselves before we can be rejected by others, but we still place the blame on others. But why do we form cliques and why are we rejected? Cliques and rejection are symptoms. They are signs of troubled relationships. However, seeing the symptoms in our own lives can be hard to recognize since we get so used to feeling this way and expecting that kind of treatment or dishing that treatment out to others.
I recently led a group of ladies (Front Porch Devotions) in a study of relationships and one of the sessions was about relating to our fellow church members and how hard it can be. We also learned how to reach out to each other and why it is important to do so. We also discussed how this doesn't happen if we are relationship-handicapped and don't know how to do it.
Are you in a clique and exclude others from your circle? Are you the rejected one? Whichever one you are--you are a hurting soul. That's right, even if you seem to be surrounded by friends. Snubbing people and not even acknowledging their presense is exclusion and rejection. It makes you feel superior and the excluded one inferior, which is what you want. You may not want to admit it but I ask you to give it some thought. And you--rejected one, you are so afraid of being rejected that you shy away from friendships because you cannot bear the pain of rejection. I know how that feels and empathize with you but I know that you can be healed. I am healed!! God's word heals.
Let's refresh our memory of scripture from my last blog. It is Romans 13: 9b-10 (NIV): "Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." If we obey God's word and truly show love to our "neighbor" we would do no harm to our neighbor. Now look at Romans 16: 17-18 (NIV): "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetities. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people." The word divisions sounds a lot like cliques, doesn't it? So what are the teachings Paul is talking about? Back up to Romans15:1-2 (NIV): We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please oursleves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." Friend, that may mean that you need to build yourself up and become strong through God and His word. Verse 7 says: "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." See, Christ has already accepted you--you are not totally rejected. Rejected one--use this verse as a 21 day journal note to rewire your brain and create a good, solid foundation to live on.
And as a final note, Paul urges in verse 32 of chapter 15: "so that by God's will (something God wants) I may come to you with joy (sounds like a fun time) and together with you (did you hear the word together?) be refreshed (what an outcome)."
I hope that both the clique people and the rejected people have heard me. I believe one of you is more aware of the group you are in than the other. Think about it.
And I present to you: 21 day journal note #9
Stop being upset and fearful!
John 14:27 (AMP): Peace I leave with you; My (own) peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, netiher let them be afraid. (Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled).
Jesus, I am accepting your loving gift of peace. Per Your command: I will not allow myself to be agitated and distrubed. I will not permit myself to be fearful, intimidated, cowardly and unsettled. Christ, Your gift of peace is allowing me to live calmly, confidently and wholly--Holy for You. Thank you my blessed Jesus!
end of journal note.
That was a good one, wasn't it? It really helped me to get past intimidation, agitation, etc. I realized that Jesus doesn't like that kind of behavior and it certainly doesn't look like Him. After all Christian means little Christ.
Friend consider healing and forgiving so that you can flourish and grow. Your gratitude will lead you straight into a life of service for Him--it will be a natural thing to do, so don't struggle against it.
What confidence elements from Galatians 5:22-23 would you assign to todays blog? and
what confidence-busters do you recognize in your life that can be healed and corrected?
Celebrate Jesus today!!!
Sisterly love to all, Wynndy
