The Solution is Relational

You can sometimes forget that being a member of a church is good thing, this is never more evident than when you attend a church meeting. Members are gathered, papers are being rustled and there are always a couple dudes standing in the back pacing. Sitting through a meeting that occupies 4 hours of your night can be testing but it can also be rewarding because its plainly obvious people are there to help the church grow and be better and are concerned about its well being. I try to never roll my eyes at comments or wonder why some people are so plainly retarded when it comes to numbers, i never disregard someones comments as useless but i do see people act like this towards others and it makes me wonder, has no one got the patience to let someone talk and voice there opinion even if it seems ridiculous to you. As time wears on your patience grows thin and simple things like moving one slide further in your power point would answer ten peoples questions but the guy using it keeps pointing the remote at the wall wondering why the slab of drywall is not responding can get frustrating, but the questions are not and many valid points were made. I was sitting beside a friend and when it came time to vote we voted differently (another mistake in my opinion because everyone can see who votes no or yes, intimidating to some) there was no wrong way to vote, even though he did, and i was interested as to why we voted differently, this in no way affected our friendship and we had a simple conversation about it. I read my sisters blog and felt what she wrote could be applied to our church body. take a read at her handiwork:

A friend came over tonight to offer some guidance to a housemate about her future plans, which ended up sparking a conversation about our current jobs and conflicts we are facing. As we delved into the struggles of 'serving' for a year, of recognizing broken systems and the need for Christian support and vision, my friend stated ever so simply and clearly that "in the end, whether it is large-scale problems or small, the solution is relational."

This morning was like a real-life metaphor (is that self-contradictory?). Our garbage day is Wednesday, always has been, always will be for the entirety of our lives in Buffalo. And yet we consistently scramble to put the big blue bin out to the curb in time for the garbagemen to do their job. This morning I woke up earlier than usual and peeked out the front window with the whimsical idea that I would be gently awoken by the scene of fresh snow and thus inspired to get ready for my workday. Instead I saw the blue bins shoved into the mounds of snow on everyones curb but ours. I grabbed a coat and shoved my pyjama pants into a pair of boots and in a mad dash I skidded out the door. To my relief and then panic, the garbage truck was at our neighbours, and without hesitation I yanked our big old bin (almost overflowing at this point) out of its icy cave and onto the walkway. I was halfway down to the curb when it toppled on its side; I tried to motivate myself by yelling 'C'MON!' to the world and with an unexpected surge of adrenaline I pulled it through the snowdrift it was now planted in, like some old horse that refused to move. Unfortunately this really only pushed the bin further into the drift. Crouched there in my pyjamas making weird puffy noises, my hero comes along. "Hey girly, whatcha doing?" Our local garbageman literally jumped over the bank of snow (overtaking what used to be the sidewalk) and took it from my hands, rescuing me from any further embarrassment and stressed muscles. Beneath his scruffy grey beard he smiled and told me not to worry, this was his job, and I hopped back inside with great relief.

Needless to say I didn't need my coffee that morning.

It strikes me how simple service can be. How beautiful that garbageman suddenly became. A simple struggle (maybe simple to some) of bringing the garbage to the curb was resolved by the inclusion of another person. The solution is relational... and isn't this where grace flourishes? We often think we can solve our problems or reach our dreams if we strengthen ourselves as individuals. But the most beautiful solutions are when we share our stories.