OnFire Encouragement Letter
Hi Folks:
Its a busy few weeks coming up. I have meetings to attend tomorrow and Thursday, and then next week I’m away for a few days again for a board I serve on. So I’m trying to catch up and work ahead at the same time.
Our family is well. Jan thought she was developing a cold, but it seems not to have amounted to much. The boys are healthy and active. Ian is testing his trebuchet in our hall way, so we’ve become used to flying objects in the house. Mark continues to prepare for Denver. A friend put a countdown timer on the computer for him - it reminds us there are only 41 days to go.
Jan went with the teachers to attend the funeral today for Karissa Boudreau, the twelve-year-old whose body was discovered in Bridegwater after she went missing a few weeks ago. Such things ought not to happen. Please include Karissa’s family in your prayers.
Troy
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I’m still working on my podium. I only get a few hours here and there, but I’ve managed to cut half the dovetails, and so far so good. They seem to fit well, which is good because if they didn’t I might be in for a lot more work.
Soon it will be time to assemble and sand it. Its already fairly smooth, but the extra sanding will dramatically improve the finish. Finishing has a funny way of bringing out both the good and the bad features of the wood, like any scratches or marks I’ve picked up in the building process. If I were to finish it without sanding, those features would be sealed into the wood and everyone would know I rushed the end. I’ve put too much time and effort, and I care too much, to finish the podium without making it smooth.
Brotherly love is that same kind of smoothness in our relationships. That’s the next character trait Peter tells us we need to add to our faith in 2 Peter 1:6. We could care about only getting something done and rush through to the end without caring about how smoothly we make things for other people, or we could care a little and make sure we don’t give people splinters along the way.
Brotherly love is a funny expression in some ways. It is supposed to convey the same kind of caring and helpfulness we might exhibit to members of our families, but I had to chuckle when I thought about the way my brother and I used to treat each other. When we were children we were always fighting. A few times our father even pushed back the furniture to make a wrestling ring and we went at it, fists flying and hands grabbing. I don’t remember ever actually hurting one another, but it was hardly a fine example of caring and helpfulness.
I hope that’s not the kind of “brotherly kindness” we still exhibit, but I know all too well that sometimes it takes all my effort to make sure my interaction with people is smooth. Some people have a way of bringing out my marks and scratches, and if I’m not exceedingly careful I can easily say something which would not make the situation better. That’s not brotherly kindness.
In the process of thinking about this week’s letter, I remembered some advice given to a pastor friend when he moved to the area from the US. He wasn’t used to the family dynamics of such tight-knit communities, and so a friend warned him, “If you cut one, they all bleed.” That’s probably the negative way to express one element of brotherly love - looking out for one another. All too often, our tendency is to look out for our own interests, but brotherly love looks out for the interests of someone else.
Brotherly love is also rejoicing when something good happens to someone else, even when it is what we wanted for ourselves. A friend of mine was in a church that really took off. New people were coming every week and soon the church started talking about buying land. Meanwhile, things weren’t going so great in my church, but I could see his joy and I had to be happy for him. If the situation were reversed, he would do the same. It takes effort to sand out the mark of jealousy on my soul.
If I were a wooden board, I’m not sure I would enjoy sandpaper. It is exactly that - sand glued to paper. Its purpose is to remove the surface area by scraping it off. I once touched a grinding wheel by accident and power-sanded the tip of my finger - not a comfortable experience.
But each sanding uses less abrasive paper until the surface is perfectly smooth. I once saw a dresser with a high glossy finish. The man who refinished it pointed out that he had used no urethane or varnish. “How did it get so glossy?” I asked. “I kept using finer and finer paper until it got to be like that.” Wow - it shone.
Peter tells us that one of our goals is to sand away selfishness from our character until we shine with brotherly kindness.
I hope this helps. Be OnFire.
Troy
ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. To be added to or removed from the ON FIRE list contact him at onfire@eastlink.ca . Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com This letter published Feb 19, 2008.