While I was sitting in church this morning listening to my pastor's message my cell phone vibrated to alert me to a call. Normally, I would ignore it, but today I had outstanding concerns that beckoned me to see who it was. My "missed call" information said it was my parents. I quietly got up and left the sanctuary to check my voicemail.
My mother left the message, saying she wanted to find out how my eye was today (I had injured it slightly yesterday), and she informed me of their plans to drive down to Lakeville Minnesota to visit with my cousin's family in their new home. I listened, deleted the message and went back into the sanctuary. But something was tugging at my heart. I stood there for a moment wondering what to do next. Calling them back occurred to me as somehow important.
I stepped outside of the sanctuary again and called my parents. Mother answered and I informed her I was at church, and also that my eye was doing much better today. Then she put my dad on the phone. Even while my dad began talking I was moving into an unoccupied room in the church where I could have a private conversation. Dad said he was sorry for putting me in harms way yesterday and for contributing to the eye injury I was recovering from. And I in turn apologized to my dad for speaking so disrespectfully to him yesterday, regardless of the circumstances.
You know, it seems to me now that more "church" happened in that two minute phone conversation than could have happened in the 1-1/2 hours in the sanctuary had I returned to listen to the pastor speak. Instead of withdrawal, two men owned their failings to each other. Instead of distancing themselves and living in resentment, two men came back together and chose to remain in a loving relationship with each other. This then, is both "family" and the Body-of-Christ at work.
My brother Terry sent this to me by email last night. Actually, he sent it to my parents and sister and her family too. He asked for a cartoon bubble for the picture. Here's what popped into my head...
