Of Friendships, Blunders, and Tending to Wounds

Pondering much on human connections these days.

Two reasons.  One is that I'm preparing for a three week series to be preached at Highview on the essential nature of our relationships with one another as a means by which God, by His grace and to our astonishment, completes His love and shows the world He means it.

1 John 4:12 - No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 

Yeah, I know.  Scares me too.

The other reason is that, let's face it, during these crazy COVID times, our relationships have taken a pretty harsh beating.  Try thinking of one human connection in your life that has not in some way been negatively affected by physical distancing, isolation, lockdowns, travel bans, abstinence from hugs, and difference of opinions and practice in how to navigate all this.  Me neither.  Can't think of one.  And that's not even counting any who have experienced the tragic loss of a loved one.  Devastating.  Shattering.  Our relational worlds have been severely shaken.

And then, just generally, we're all a bit more on edge.  Or is that just me?  Some of what I've experienced over the past while in terms of relational dissonance is largely due, if I'm honest, to me being overly sensitive, tired and anxious.  And on the other side of it, I am having to write more 'clarifying' emails, make apologies and set up coffee times to sort something out than 'normal'.  (Remember 'normal'?  Me neither.)

Earlier this morning I was composing just such an email, in response to someone's reaction to words I had used in a previous email to them.  They were right.  I had been insensitive and exclusive in my choice of words.  Entirely NOT my intention, but re-reading them in the light of their perspective, there it was.  So I offer my sincere apologies and suggest we get together over a cup of tea to help make things right.

Tending to the wounds of our blunders.

That's where I'm going with this.

As I am formulating my email response, I hear in my head the tune and lyrics of a song by Steve Bell, Canadian artist and musician, and a sage to many.  The song is called Good Friend and is based on a poem by Richard William called Mayflies.

The chorus is brilliant in its simple advice for good living overall.

Be but your own good friend, and be good to the other/Cherish those sisters and brothers along the road/And to the earth extend every reverence and wonder./Tend to the wounds of your blunders/And honour God who formed our home.

So I was doing some of that tending this morning, and glad for the honesty of the friend who would bring it to my attention with grace and humility.  

Oh friends, we need each other so much.  Especially now.  Let's hold on to all that is so delicate and precious between us.  Let's tend to the wounds, reach out in support, ask for help, listen with grace, lay down our need to be right.

We've lost enough.  

Let's not lose each other.