Life continues as strange as it is. Tama is still sedated with a respirator and Barrett’s folks and Tama’s husband are continually by her side. Its easy to say that it is the small things that matter but can you imagine how a hand squeeze, smile, or tear causes celebration? These are the small things that give us encouragement each day. Thank you for all your prayers and support, we are continuing to trust in the Sovereign God. Her recovery will take weeks of physical therapy and baby steps to get back to full health and we hope that she will regain consciousness in the next couple of days.
In the mean time, Barrett and I have been attending the Southern Baptist Convention here in Louisville, what a treat! I’ve never been to one before and now my eyes have been opened to the business meeting, circus, and revival all in one. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly but left with an overall impression that change is coming. The SBC is a huge family that knows each individual’s hot buttons. It seems as though a few hot buttons were pushed in an ugly manner but what encouraged me was how many people took the high road by not reacting in the same manner. Instead of dwelling on tertiary (non gospel or fundamental) issues, they decided to love their brothers in spite of their differences. The younger generation is uniting with grace filled leaders, while the dissenters are shrinking in size. Even more encouraging is hearing former dissenters turn from hostility to giving grace, the president of the SBC being the poster child of this phenomena.
So I come away not remembering much of the sermons preached from the pulpit but remembering the sermons preached from example. It has led me to look in my own heart, marriage, church, and family to see where I make secondary issues primary when they shouldn’t be. It challenges me to give grace instead of criticism as my life is what people notice first. My actions are what people remember more than my words. And my actions should come from a grace filled, forgiven heart that was given the forgiveness of Christ when it wasn’t deserved. Oh I pray that this lesson will remain and that by the Grace of the Lord I will glorify Him by loving my brothers and sisters instead of tearing them down on trivial things.