And then there’s the other side. There is always the other side. The side that seems indifferent. The side that hardly seems to care. That’s one of the hardest parts about what Tisha and I do. Taking care of double digit kids can be tough, but it pales in comparison to the emotional toil of seeing kids faces who haven’t heard from their family in weeks or longer. No joke. Every child in NMCCH’s care is parent placed, but some seemingly drop them off and forget about them. Unless you’ve seen it, you can’t imagine how unsettling it is.

Working here has taught me a newfound respect for my kids. Take some time to consider the ties you have with yours. Ask yourself…

Are my ties with my kids strong?

or

Are my ties with my kids weak?

2 Corinthians 12:11-21 is a passage I find terribly saddening. That Paul felt compelled to bring the epistle to a close with such words is so unfortunate. Once again, it’s proof that relationships can be incredibly messy.

I can think of only one relationship that is devoid of such dysfunction: Father, Son and Spirit. And yet Christ prayed as if it were possible for his followers to actually function in divine harmony,

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe on me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them as you loved me. John 17:20-23.

The trinity sets the precedent for relational harmony. This is why living by the Spirit and walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) is requisite. Our relationship with the divine paves the way for harmonious accord in the body (Romans 8:5-11; Romans 12:4-8). Where the divine is absent in human relationships, so is the potential for perfect oneness one with another.