Can't We All Just Get Along?

Dearest reader, part of my exercise in writing this blog is to hold myself accountable to the lessons that God is teaching me. I am also learning to tell my story without barging in on the narratives of others, especially in a way that might leave them vulnerable. I am hoping that my account of this next installment of instruction will stay true to those motives.

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Thoughts for today’s lesson:

1. Precisely because we can hurt people so grievously when we don't know what we're doing, it's our responsibility to know what we're doing. It's our responsibility to look at all the angles. Self-knowledge is not just a luxury. It's more a responsibility. It's like learning to drive right so you don't run people down. – Cary Tennis

2. Mercifulness: a disposition to be kind and forgiving

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My education in mercy would be so much nicer and tidier if my only object lesson was helping a little boy in Africa. I knew it would not work out like that, but I was completely surprised when an opportunity to be merciful sort of exploded on me last night.

The setting for this situation is an online conversation in which me and 3 or 4 other people are encouraging someone who was very disheartened. The original storm seemed to have passed and we were even joking around just a little when I had to step away for just a bit.

I came back to the conversation to see how things were going and was just flabbergasted at what had transpired in a short amount of time. The discussion now involved the betrayer, the betrayed (which is which is a matter of perspective, I think), various family members and several friends. Except for the aforementioned betrayer and betrayed, I know none of these people and have no clue what the normal dynamics are in the group. That means that I had no idea what I was about to step into.