Making the Connection
This one’s from Jeff. He writes once a month for the Tarrant NET newsletter—not his favorite thing on his to-do list. I don’t think he minds the writing. I think it's just the time it takes, the seemingly frequent deadline and a preference for the other things on his work list. This particular article captured my attention more than usual because he included Brighton, so I decided to post it. Jeff is a great communicator and has always been more “well read” than I, so it doesn’t surprise me that he records his thoughts well.
Kids down, cup of coffee in hand, talking to Jeff is my most favorite part of the day. If only I could remember every great conversation after eight. This is where a "blog by Jeff" would come in handy-- for me anyway. Not going to happen. When I read this, I couldn’t help but think of Julia and Brighton and how much easier and fuller (used in the best sense of the word) my days would be if I would just resolve to “enter in” their world more times than not. Since relationships permeate every part of our lives, you'll have no problem hearing this one with your heart.
Making the Connection
My son sat in the mi
ddle of the carpet in Tinkertoy chaos, crying in a way that you know is not crying but instead chanting, “I can’t do it!” The truth is, he could do it and had done it on several occasions, but on this sad Saturday, he was suddenly incapacitated. With the wisdom of many years and a few Tinkertoy experiences myself, I said, “just start connecting them.” “I can’t dooooooooo iiiiiiiiiiit!” was the response. With some reservation, I resolved myself to a relatively short interruption to my Saturday task list and sat down to make some familiar wooden connections. An amazing transformation took place that was just short of a miracle. In the twinkling of an eye, my boy began to make the connections that were just moments before impossible. In fact, he could make them so well that he was now telling me how to “dooooooo iiiiiiiiiiit”! As I sat with the Tinkertoy task almost completed, I made the connection. Relationships make all the difference in the world.
In our adult world, where for many, tasks are king and relationships are the pawns in pursuit, we try to build without making real connections. When we do this, in the end it will all come crashing down. Sadly, then, when we are in the midst of the chaos, we will regress to, “I can’t do it.”
In relation to the task of making “disciples of all nations”, which the Lord Jesus Himself gave us as followers, we must realize that without making real connections with other believers, churches, and Bible believing denominations, we will continue to find ourselves in chaos, chanting, “I can’t do it.”
Kids down, cup of coffee in hand, talking to Jeff is my most favorite part of the day. If only I could remember every great conversation after eight. This is where a "blog by Jeff" would come in handy-- for me anyway. Not going to happen. When I read this, I couldn’t help but think of Julia and Brighton and how much easier and fuller (used in the best sense of the word) my days would be if I would just resolve to “enter in” their world more times than not. Since relationships permeate every part of our lives, you'll have no problem hearing this one with your heart.
Making the Connection
My son sat in the mi
ddle of the carpet in Tinkertoy chaos, crying in a way that you know is not crying but instead chanting, “I can’t do it!” The truth is, he could do it and had done it on several occasions, but on this sad Saturday, he was suddenly incapacitated. With the wisdom of many years and a few Tinkertoy experiences myself, I said, “just start connecting them.” “I can’t dooooooooo iiiiiiiiiiit!” was the response. With some reservation, I resolved myself to a relatively short interruption to my Saturday task list and sat down to make some familiar wooden connections. An amazing transformation took place that was just short of a miracle. In the twinkling of an eye, my boy began to make the connections that were just moments before impossible. In fact, he could make them so well that he was now telling me how to “dooooooo iiiiiiiiiiit”! As I sat with the Tinkertoy task almost completed, I made the connection. Relationships make all the difference in the world.In our adult world, where for many, tasks are king and relationships are the pawns in pursuit, we try to build without making real connections. When we do this, in the end it will all come crashing down. Sadly, then, when we are in the midst of the chaos, we will regress to, “I can’t do it.”
In relation to the task of making “disciples of all nations”, which the Lord Jesus Himself gave us as followers, we must realize that without making real connections with other believers, churches, and Bible believing denominations, we will continue to find ourselves in chaos, chanting, “I can’t do it.”
Comments
Thanks Jeff.
Kathie
Chanting (well more like throwing an internal fit) I have been saying for the last year, “I can’t dooooooooo iiiiiiiiiiit!”. I want to come back to my home, Texas, where I feel safe and sound and all is right with the world.
I have not tried to make Finland my home, or to make those Christian connections and have paid the price of it all crashing down on me. Ah… the weight of the world is truly great, so praise God for being there for me.
He is always there and is always faithful, unlike myself. God showed me that I could not hold up the world any longer and that I needed to lean on Him and so I have started investing in those relationships. Trying harder, making dates with women and joining groups at church, really seeking to make those connections and God has blessed me with budding friendships and such happiness that I didn’t feel before.
I sit here at my computer reading Jeff’s words and feeling more convicted of what God has been trying to tell me for several months, so thank you for sharing!