11.9.23 - Matthew 13:54
How can you be both consistent and allow room for other's to change and grow around you today?
He came to his hometown and began to teach the people[a] in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power?
It's hard enough to make meaningful changes in our lives.
Even harder when we find ourselves around people who "knew us before..."
I find it interesting that so much of life is managing change. It's no wonder we hold on to memories and get nostalgic about the past. Nothing really changes there, certainly very little challenges us.
While important, there's nothing we can do about the past other than change our relationship to it. And, if we can't do that, we struggle with the present in front of us.
It's what these town people struggled with... the memory didn't match the person in front of them and instead of change they rejected the person he'd become.
I often tell folx that consistency builds trust. And, that has to do with how we show up to others' shifting identities and awareness. It's what Jesus' towns people couldn't do, and why he found them lacking.
Take a moment and reflect on how you show up for others as they change and grow. Is it consistently compassionate and just? If not, how might you shift the way to relate to be more faithful to that vision?
--Jason Whitehead