We Said Goodbye…Again

For the third time in 4 months, we said goodbye to a wounded and scarred minister and his family as they move on and try to rebuild their lives in the wake of the trauma caused by their “brothers and sisters in Christ” (aka our church). The pain continues to grow when I think it’s impossible for it to become any deeper. And, still, we wait…and wait…and wait. For the truth about how these families were treated to be spoken out loud. For the untruths that were said about the character and actions of these men to be addressed.  For someone to be held accountable for the damage. Sure, God will hold us all accountable…I know that. Does that mean that we are not to be held accountable now? Do we tiptoe around when someone is caught cheating on taxes or assaulting another citizen and hope they will feel God leading them to apologize? Do we give them a lifetime to think about it with no consequences? How can we say, “It’s done and in the past. We’ll do better in the future.”? It’s certainly not “done” for these families. They will be feeling the effects of what we’ve done and allowed to be done for a lifetime. The pain is excruciating for those who experience it firsthand and for those who watch it unfold (daily) on those they love. For others, the pain seems to be somewhat sincere but short lived because they choose to see only the amount of pain they can withstand without it disrupting their own lives. It has definitely disrupted our lives. I beg…

“What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.” Ephesians 4:25 (MSG)

And here’s my biggest struggle…I’ve been fighting the foothold daily for 11 months and I’m growing weary…

“Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.” Ephesians 4:26-27 (MSG)