"God helpes us wherever we are"

Have you discovered evidences of our Lord’s will and design sometimes on display in unlikely places? They can occur in unexpected places and at unusual times. The Lord recently allowed me to witness a demonstration of how He desires people to live together in a community.

I recently chaired our community’s homeowner’s association board of directors meeting where we wrestled with a sticky problem relating to a house under construction. The chairman of the architectural committee is assigned the responsibility of overseeing plans and permits for new construction. He is eminently qualified as an architect and is fastidious about his work. In the design and permit process a serious error was made. Communication broke down between the contractor, county agencies and the homeowner’s association representative. Thousands of dollars are at stake. The architect feels as if he has let down the whole community and apologized in tears.

As the board struggled through the various issues and listened to the presentations and viewpoints of the parties directly involved, a member stated, "I think we need to do what good neighbors do. We ought to share the responsibility for what has happened and make the best of an imperfect circumstance." A few persisted using tense legal argument and questioning the integrity of the contractor, but slowly and steadily the directors decided on a non-punitive course of action by affirming the architect and deciding on an acceptable plan for all parties. The board adopted a formal statement sharing the responsibility for the difficult circumstance. And at the end of the meeting I noticed nearly every board member individually assuring the architect and thanking him for many years of service.

The meeting was so different from some board meetings I have attended. I have seen well-intentioned business and community leaders act like playground bullies insisting on their own way. Sadly, I have seen similar behavior among church leaders. Contention, threats, ultimatums and anger breed an unpleasant atmosphere and regrettable memories. The spirit and behavior of those meetings should have never happened.

In reading Paul’s letter to the Colossians I was reminded of the apostle’s instruction, "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12). The behavior is an exact opposite of the preceding instruction, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Colossians 3:3). It is our choice and our activity. We "put off" and "put on" what we choose. God doesn’t do it for us. As we make choices and follow those decisions with complementary actions, we glimpse the kind of family, community and church emerging that pleases the Lord.