One with Him (#13 of 365+)

Recently my son has been having issues with something and it has become apparent that he requires counseling. My husband suggests that we take him to our pastor because he relates well to
kids and teens. But I am opposed to that idea because I don’t know if our pastor is fully trained in counseling. I’d prefer to take our son to a professional counselor who is also a Christian.

After today’s devotional, I realize that I’m opposed for other reasons as well.

1) Our church seems like a group of very friendly “strangers” to us.
We’ve been attending this church for less than one year. We found it shortly after we got married. My husband tithes faithfully and I participate in the hospitality ministry. But because of conflicting obligations we haven’t been attending mid-week prayer meetings or other social gatherings.

2) I haven’t healed fully from former breaches of trust.
I hesitate to start friendships at this church since I was severely disappointed with my experiences in the last two churches I attended. At the most recent church, the pastor confessed to committing adultery and left the ministry forever. At the church before that, there was a different type of betrayal. Both situations were extremely painful and caused a lot of harm.

I really want to heal and move past those bad experiences. And, even if our family moves away sometime in the next few years, I want to have developed long-lasting friendships that will continue on. Jesus Christ said that we, the Church, would be one as he and the Father are one. And we would also be one with him. So, even if we’re all a little (or a lot) flawed, we can't ignore the fact that we were made for relationships and we should put more effort into nurturing them. As Joni said, "The best of friendships are only embryonic on earth, snatching only a few short years to mature. There's never enough time... In heaven we shall experience the oneness that God intended all along."

I sense that God will be working diligently on this area of my heart…

Father, I praise you for sending Jesus Christ into the world and restoring a broken relationship with mankind. Thank you that I’m free to come to you with my needs at all hours of the day or night. Heal me from the past. Help me to forgive others. Fill my heart up with so much love that it overflows and touches the lives of others. Amen.