Vote’s Over

I mentioned yesterday that our denomination was facing a divisive issue. We met yesterday; we spoke; we voted. It wasn’t as bad as I expected, but it was far worse than it had to be. What I’ve learned: Some people love the fight – Some people are just combative by nature. They’re always looking for a fight, and when one’s over they look for the next one. I’m not talking about everyone, but there sure were some who clearly enjoy conflict. Times have changed – In ways we don’t yet understand, orthodoxy to a position is no longer as important as having the wisdom to know what issues are important and which issues can be left alone. The time has come that we have to be known for what we stand for (in practice as well as belief) than what we stand against. Humility is everything – One book I read recently argued a position but then had a chapter in it called “What if I’m wrong?” It’s amazing how rare and valuable that type of humility really is. It’s not over – As much as I didn’t want this to be an issue, we still haven’t dealt with it. It’s not going away. I sure hope next time around we’ll be a lot smarter in our approach. I wish I could reclaim all the energy we put into this and put it into a better use. Interesting days are ahead. We’ll soon discover if we’ve learned anything from this experience. Leonard Sweet’s quote from the other day continues to hit me: “There are times in Christianity when God is more active in the world than through the Church because we are fixated on the wrong thing.”