Thursday, April 01, 2010

Awkward, Odd, and Worthy

"God continually introduces us to people for whom we have no affinity, and unless we are worshipping God, the most natural thing to do is to treat them heartlessly..."

There's a teenager at church I'm not particularly fond of; I even unfriended him and then clicked "Ignore" when he sent a second friend request a few months later. While I did accept his third friend request just last week, I'm still not particularly fond of this kid. He's just really odd, and when I'm around him, I feel very self-conscious, the way I do around people whom I think don't like me.

He's here at my house right now, about 10 feet away. I'm often reminded of what Cheryl shared with me from Oswald Chambers the day I told her about the whole unfriending thing. It was something to the effect of "When you treat someone harshly, it means you're unwilling to take on that person's burden." Jylle has also told me that it's not that he doesn't like me--he's just awkward and odd, but she still wants to be his friend.

As I sit here praying, I have this determination to simply love him. Awkwardness, oddness, and self-consciousness all aside, I will love him in Christ. I will treat him like a friend. He is my brother, after all. Thank You, Father, for Your Love that supercedes all.