Friendly Fire

Another church service and yet another good sermon. Southern Man is definitely on a roll here.

With the semester winding down, Southern Man's Monday-Wednesday evening course has, well, run its course and he had a chance to go to the local megachurch this evening with some friends. The guest speaker was pastor and author Richard Exley. He does a lot of work in men's ministries and has written some good books for men; hopefully Southern Man can pick up a few. After a most entertaining book giveaway he took his text from Genesis 27 - the tale of two brothers, Jacob and Esau, and how the younger acquired from their father both birthright and blessing at the expense of the elder. The sermon title: Wounded By Friendly Fire.

This really spoke to Southern Man for many reasons. Recent divorce not withstanding, he's not had the best of relationships with his own father and Exley's anecdotes about his relationship with his father really hit home. That's something that Southern Man is determined to get to work on. Another thing Exley said was that "wounded people become bitter people." In other words, when you're hurt by somone you love, you often respond in anger. Southern Man can certainly relate to that; it wasn't all that long ago that he lashed out at his then almost-ex in anger and bitterness that stemmed from the deep, unending hurt of our failed marriage.

Anyway, some of us went to dinner afterwards and had a good conversation about the sermon and about our various situations (Southern Man isn't the only one in the crowd left unexpectedly single in recent months). Sometimes Southern Man thinks he's the only one hurting, and it's just not so. There are lots of walking wounded out there.

I tell myself over and over that my father didn't mean to wound me. He did, but he didn't mean it. I'm finally beginning to understand that and perhaps can use that to begin to rebuild our strained relationship. I don't know about my ex. Certainly things were said that were meant to wound. No doubt she, too, was to some extent reacting to the many accumulated hurts of our failed marriage. I just don't know, though. Our relationship is also strained, at best, and I really don't know what to do about that other than continue to pray. Lord, I pray that you would continue to give me the strength to look ahead to the future and the capacity to forgive those who have wounded me. And, Lord, speak to those who I myself have wounded; I pray that you would forgive me and comfort them as you comfort me. Amen.