a life well lived


Sunday, March 9, 2014

One of the toughest things 02/28/00



Last night, I mentioned that the young people's choir sang at Sunday's Contemporary Service.  I did not mention the excellent talk by Tommy Rose, which I had the pleasure of listening to on audio cassette.

Tommy discussed the importance of not just going along with those we love when they are doing things that are contrary to our dearest principles or condemning them for acting differently than we would.  He talked about the need of binding good and truth together with love.  That good by itself would be tempted to accept all in the interest of friendship, that truth would tend to be judgmental;  that a middle ground needs to be found, a different path followed.

Whether as a parent, a friend or a wife, one of the hardest things I have struggled to do is letting people know that they are doing something destructive to dearly held principles ~ and ~ that I love them, no matter what, yet I do not love what they do. 

gMim always said it is better to distance yourself from an unhealthy relationship than to turn a blind eye to what you consider a disorder that the person can't or won't change.   That is so hard to do without sounding condemning, even if your heart is in the right place.   It is also difficult when the shoe is on the other foot.

Tommy's comments will keep me pondering for some time to come.

Love to all on this beautiful, sunny day - KRL

No comments:

Post a Comment