Millpond Musing – Of Our Unknown Brothers and Sisters

When we meet those who speak the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, trust that the Holy Spirit will readily affirm their kinship. May our hearts leap, as the unborn child John leapt in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary arrived to visit. If we possess no such spiritual excitement, ask the Lord to reveal what it is that resides in our own hearts, and minds that cause our withdrawal. Fear or anxiety? An unforgiving attitude? Such feelings and attitudes quench the Holy Spirit, preventing us from entering into what could be a wonderful, sweet fellowship. God forbid that I quench His Spirit because I’ve become jaded… skeptical of others because of disappointment. This has been a long-standing battle in my life… a battle which Father – by his love and grace – has long-suffered in me! Why can’t I simply trust my all-powerful God – who is sovereign over all things – to pursue the goodness in others that I’ve experienced in him? I know… I know… those I shy away from are not God. I am not God, but are we not called to stir up one another in the faith? I want my heart to leap again – as it did so many years ago – when I knew that sweet fellowship abounded wherever I went during my years in the Marine Corps!  It did then. It can again. How do I know? Because God still directs, Christ still lives, and His Holy Spirit still moves within his people.