Conversations with Mrs. L - Overcoming Confusion in the Church Life

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I haven't added more posts on my series, Conversations with Mrs. L. Honestly, I didn't spend that much time with Mrs. L. During those two years in California, it was so busy that I only had time to visit Mrs. L maybe twice a month.

There was this one day, I was sitting in Mrs. L's living room. I asked her concerning a semi-real scenario, "Mrs. L, in the event of a confusion in the church life, for instance, if there's someone dissenting against the leadership in the church, what should we do as sisters? - I mean whom should we believe and stand with?" Like always, she never failed to smile and calmly answer, "Keep eating the tree of life. Just enjoy the Lord." Yes, it's Mrs. L. Her answers were always elegantly simple. She continued, "And just pray."

It was like a heavy burden lifted up from my shoulders. We all know that there is only one Body of Christ in the universe and we have to keep the oneness of the faith at all times. The ground of our oneness is the track for the Lord to move on the earth. Yet often there are discords and disharmony. 

The temptation ahead is to take sides, to label who is right and who is wrong. Believe me, it is an arduous work to analyze a situation and pass verdicts to those who are in conflict. Sooner or later, a distant conflict becomes our own conflict. 

 What a relief! Our responsibility as sisters is not to take sides, but simply to partake of the tree of life and to fervently pray. I'm not saying that I have arrived, but I have kept this lesson in my heart since my tendency is to be a problem solver and to systematize situations. 

Dear Lord, by Your mercy and grace, keep us feeding on Yourself, our Tree of Life. 

Comments

  1. MCDecember 27, 2011 at 9:48 PM

    So wise! We constantly need to be brought back to the basics--eating the tree of life, enjoying the Lord, and praying.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VaniaDecember 27, 2011 at 11:24 PM

    Keep eating the tree of life! What a good answer. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownDecember 28, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    Wow! That is a good answer! May we never stop enjoying the Lord as the tree of life and praying! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. KatherineJanuary 3, 2012 at 10:42 PM

    It's amazing how everything comes back to the basics, to the tree of life and praying.

    ReplyDelete
  5. SarahJanuary 6, 2012 at 7:41 AM

    Amen, let us keep eating the tree of life!

    ReplyDelete
  6. PApril 23, 2012 at 3:54 PM

    I had a similar struggle where I was very confused and always in my mind trying to solve the problem. Eventually I got the same advice to just keep enjoying the Lord. It took a while, but eventually I broke through and was able to touch the Lord and give up the struggle of trying to find the right answers. Lord, keep us enjoying you as the tree of life.

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    Replies
    1. KatherineApril 29, 2012 at 3:13 PM

      That's very touching, P. Yes, it seems to be quite consistent that the lesson we need to learn in all of these situations is just to go back and partake of the Tree of Life.

      Delete
  7. AndreaMay 29, 2012 at 1:52 AM

    I really enjoyed reading the posts on your conversations with Mrs L. Praise the Lord for the patterns in the church life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KatherineMay 29, 2012 at 11:07 AM

      Amen! The best way to be perfected in our Christian church life is by walking in the steps of these patterns. I appreciate the older Christians so much. They have a rich Christ in them!

      Delete
  8. AnonymousJune 5, 2012 at 3:18 PM

    Wow! So awesome! I need to be simplified.

    ReplyDelete

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