I'm catching up on my favorite blogs--see the sidebar, and this one put a finger on my thought for today.

Forgiveness is the key element to growing relationships, and dying to self--importance, ambition, my way--gains the freedom necessary to a forgiving attitude. How often have I have harbored resentment in subtle ways towards various people--especially church people--for misinterpreting and misrepresenting scripture?
How is it I dare resent others for the very overlooked and misunderstood expressions of which I myself am guilty?
If I can be involved with others without thinking about how I can impress, or what can they do for me, but rather, what is it they need that I might give, then the biggest barrier to our connection (me, me, me) is removed.

Recently, I've been drawn back to Sunday evening services by a series of prayers the minister offers at the end of his lessons. He prays for our forgiveness for imposing our misunderstanding on others. And he's bravely touching the hotter topics: music, women.

His humble, softly heart-spoken prayers are like evening lullabys.
I remain seated with head reverently bowed. On the inside, however, I am kneeling, sometimes curled into a tiny ball like a high diver before she descends into the pool; then I stretch out my arms in an arc over my head and feel my weight cut through the air, trusting to be plucked from deepest shame into God's embracing light of truth and forgiveness.

Eric's blog posting reminds me that we all, regardless of gender and ability, have the responsibility to speak and the requirement to listen.
It's the way to relationship.

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves; but our adequacy is from God” (11 Corinthians 3:5 NASB)