“When our expectations are not met and confusion sets in, it is almost impossible to succeed.”

That was the conclusion I came to when conducting an experiment in a college Psychology class. I had constructed a miniature maze using balsa wood on a 2-foot by 2-foot piece of plywood and blindfolded volunteers to see who could find their way by running their finger through the maze. Most volunteers could eventually find their way through after several trial and error attempts. However, when a contestant thought they had memorized the first part of the route but then made a wrong turn before they completed that part, they became confused, and from that point, it was nearly impossible for them to complete the maze.

Many times Christians come to faith with the unrealistic expectation that the church is filled with love where conflict never exists. Perhaps this was your expectation, and you have become disillusioned with the church as you have witnessed some rather “un-Christ-like” behavior in the church.

Remember, we are in spiritual warfare. Some believers are being held captive by the devil to do his will. At such times we are told to be; “patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Timothy 2:25-26.

Perhaps you have tried to be reconciled with an offended brother, and things did not work out as you thought they should. Take heart; in Acts 15, we find that even spiritual giants like Paul and Barnabas could not always work things out. Sometimes we simply have to let things go and trust the Lord will work them out at the Judgment Seat/

Fred Butcher
Elder