This morning in my daily reading, I had to laugh when I read it in the TPT.
"Offer an open hand of fellowship to welcome every true believer, even though their faith may be weak and immature. And refuse to engage in debates with them concerning nothing more than opinions" (Romans 14:1/TPT).
Offer an open hand of fellowship... oh boy. How often I feel like I fail when I am offering a hand of fellowship, too.
Sometimes, it is because the other person might misperceive what I am saying as condemnation.
Sometimes, it is because I offer my opinion when it is not wanted.
Sometimes, it is because the person is not ready for welcome because of their own pain.
It feels like failure. In my mind's eye, I thought it would go one way, but it goes another. Ugh. Kind of like my open hand painting. I saw it going one way, but I just did not get it right.
Yet, as I tried I did learn something. One, drawing a welcoming hand is hard. I actually said that aloud to Greg when I was painting it. "Drawing hands is so hard!" So, I keep trying. I keep pressing in waiting for the practice to make the vision come to light.
Likewise, offering welcoming hands may feel hard when opinions differ, but it is so worth it when we take the time to build unity in diversity. It may take practice that determines to choose grace and mercy over being right. This is not easy. And we mess it up often. Or atleast I do.
Maybe this is why Paul challenges us to make it our top priority to be at peace with one other while seeking to strengthen and encourage one another (Rms 14:19).
Consider it an act of love to not be right (Rms 14:21).
Let's practice giving the open hand of welcome. We do not always have to be right or give our opinion.
What if we choose to love by faith and give allowance to the other trusting that in time we will both get it right?
