Some More Reflections

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More random pondering as I recover from a harsh illness...

• Over the course of my young life, I've concluded that spiritual burdens are harder to bear that physical ones. Being sick was tough on my body, no doubt. And I've seen sickness do some wild and unwanted things to people's minds, too. But over the past few months I have had the joy of sharing with people a number of spirtual burdens. Sometimes they just want simple counsel. Other times I have become a prayer partner. But the spiritual burdens weigh heavier than any physical illness because they attach themselves to the hearts within us. My heart is burdened for my friends, loved ones, and colleagues. These burdens I don't consider to be bad. They are, instead, part of the joy of this Christian walk. For we are to bear one another's burdens, Paul writes in Galatians 6:2. Yet still, I find myself needing to be on guard as a minister so that the burdens don't cause me to stumble or lose heart.
  
• The "Crazy Cycle" is an absolute monster. What I refer to is the brilliant paradigm developed by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs that describes how Love and Respect impact the marriage relationship. It goes like this: When a man feels he is being denied respect by his wife, he responds by denying her the love that she most desires. Which causes her to disrepect, which causes him to act unloving, which causes her...etc. Eventually the man and woman are on opposite sides of everything and there is neither love or respect! I've seen some couples near and dear to me go through the Crazy Cycle recently and it tears at my heart. In some cases, the couple is not involved in a community of Christian faith. I experienced the cycle earlier in my engagement and can tell you first-hand that it is not only true that men need respect and women love but it is ugly when one denies the other. And it hurts badly.

That's all for now! Tomorrow, the finacee (whom I love so dearly, and who respects me) and I are going on a Sunday afternoon drive searching for Texas wildflowers to photograph. Photography is our "thing." And we always have a blast being together as we sharpen each other's camera skills.

Be God's!

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