{"id":6577,"date":"2016-08-25T06:16:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T10:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6577"},"modified":"2016-08-25T06:16:00","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T10:16:00","slug":"im-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6577","title":{"rendered":"I’m back"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"photo-1417733403748-83bbc7c05140\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the past three and half weeks, we\u2019ve had the great privilege and pleasure of hearing multiple perspectives and passions from people I deeply respect. I\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it again: respect is more important than consensus. Respect implies that we are listening. Respect implies that we will consider an angle that is different than the one we\u2019ve currently adopted. As a wise friend recently shared, two people can look at the same number and conclude two totally different things; both will believe with certainty they are entirely correct. One will say it\u2019s a \u201c6\u201d; the other will say it\u2019s a \u201c9.\u201d Note: the angle matters.<\/p>\n

The angles shared via our annual Guest Writers Series prompted me to ponder anew\u2026<\/p>\n

With passions and perspectives not necessarily my own, I found myself thinking about sacrifice, salvation, and if and how I evaluate the cost of my own behavior\u2026<\/p>\n

I thought about climate change, adoption, and how much our children matter\u2026<\/p>\n

Also, I wrestled with the aching thought of those who go hungry each night\u2026<\/p>\n

I hugged my new puppy tighter\u2026 I found myself with increased gratitude for the community that surrounds me\u2026 and I was challenged anew to be more others focused, consistently offering grace to the holders of diverse opinion.<\/p>\n

Let me camp there for a moment. I feel as if I must offer a bit of a personal apology, as God continues to grow and stretch me in refreshing, albeit not always immediately appreciated (by me)<\/em> ways\u2026<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I always offer consistent, generous grace.<\/p>\n

Hear me on this. Sometimes I withhold it.<\/p>\n

Sometimes my opinion is so deep or so engrained or so embedded in my soul and psyche, that I struggle to give the generous grace that accompanies respect. I forget that people look at \u201c6\u201d and \u201c9\u201d differently, even though their angle seems wholly accurate.<\/p>\n

There was a moment during this brief semi-humble blogger\u2019s respite, when I found myself justifying my lack of grace. Typically that lack of grace stems from my refusal to look at another as equally, wonderfully created by the great big God of the universe. I was humbled by that reality.\u00a0That reality prompts the extension of grace.<\/p>\n

And yet, I think we are selective withholders.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let me throw you under the bus along with me. I\u2019ll focus on self\u2026<\/p>\n

For example\u00a0(… and\u00a0this is\u00a0not the most popular thing to say…)\u2026<\/em>\u00a0but both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were created by God, just like me. They deserve the same extensions of grace.<\/p>\n

I get it\u2026 They don\u2019t deserve it; or at least one<\/strong> of them doesn\u2019t.<\/em> But there. I did it again. I justified the withholding of grace. \u2028\u2028One of the beauties of our annual Guest Writers Series, is that we come face-to-face with the fact that there is so much more to learn. No, we don\u2019t have it all figured out\u2026 and that might be the second<\/em> most unpopular thing said this day.<\/p>\n

But the beauty is that we\u2019re all in this together. No better. No worse.<\/p>\n

We are all, thus, in need of great grace\u2026 a grace, perhaps most visible on the Intramuralist via our commitment to respect.<\/p>\n

Allow me a special shout out to our 10 guest writers. I so appreciate your offering and your prompts to think deeper, even when I didn\u2019t share your passion or perspective. Thank you most, though, for modeling that grace.<\/p>\n

Respectfully\u2026 and thankful to be back\u2026 I look forward to what’s next…
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the past three and half weeks, we\u2019ve had the great privilege and pleasure of hearing multiple perspectives and passions from people I deeply respect. I\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it again: respect is more important than consensus. Respect implies that we are listening. Respect implies that we will consider an angle that … <\/p>\n

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