14-16 I’m not writing all this as a neighborhood scold to shame you. I’m writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself.
(1 Corinthians 4: 14-16, The Message)
Paul is writing to the Corinthians, a group of believers in the fourth largest urban center in the Roman Empire. This is not a small, insignificant congregation. He is writing to a power center in the Roman Empire. I”m sure he thought before putting pen to paper. It is never easy ”to speak truth” to someone whom you consider important, possibly with power beyond yourself, and trying to say something you hope won’t break relationship. Yesterday Paul described himself as a “Messiah misfit,” a person without power. Today he says he is not just grumping like a neighbor, yelling over a fence. He claims the relationship of a father wanting to help a child grow up well. The image that comes to my mind is an aging elder who is past the prime of life, possibly comprimised by life’s limitations who is trying to speak to an upcoming young adult. A bit intimidating! Besides this perceived sense of powerlessness, though, he can assert that he is personally following his own advice.
The passage makes me ponder how I might address my children with wisdom I feel is necessary for them to hear to succeed and grow. I don’t know about you but I have learned to recognize that tone of voice that comes with “Mom…” and I know they are going to say something honest to me that I need to hear. What if the shoe were on the other foot? How would I open the conversation? So let’s think. Is there someone you need to speak truth to today? It need not be negative as Paul is confronting the Corinthians about their lack of unity. It could be a complement about growth you see but have not affirmed. “I’ve been meaning to complement you about….” “I’ve been meaning to push the envelope about….” Ask the Holy Spirit to shine his flashlight on your soul for a minute and see if there is a note or phone call you need to make. Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 