Contemplations

Midwinter was this week. Technically it is still going on but neither Dan nor I are there anymore...our experience is finished. Overall, it was positive. I cannot speak for everything that Dan learned and thought but I can at least share my own. One thing that really has come to my mind as a result of the time spent here is how I view marginalized groups. It seems like it is rather easy for us to pick out certain groups of people who are marginalized...the poor, the hungry, people living with HIV/AIDS, etc but I feel that there are some people who we miss almost every time. This is not to say that we as christians should not be doing what we can to help these other groups--we are indeed called to help those in need--but what about our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? What about those people within our congregations who need help? What are we doing to help each other? Do we know the needs of the families within our own churches? Do we know if a family is having financial difficulty and needs assistance? What do we know about each other's spiritual growth? Do we sharpen each other? Do we overlook the needs in our smaller communities in order to focus on the needs of the larger community? This is a hard balance to strike. We run the risk of becoming too focused on ourselves and neglecting those around us. But we also run the risk of neglecting the health and needs of our local churches and assuming that everything is okay for everyone. Outreach is great and necessary but how are we caring for each other?

I don't have this entirely thought through and figured out yet but I feel like it has been laid on my heart and I at least wanted to share it.