Lessons from The Unexplained

When I was a kid I had a really good friend who I'll call Data (not his real name, duh!). Data and I would go to each others houses and generally got along well. One day he quit talking to me. He wouldn't even explain why. He just quit being my friend. Until about 4 years later he started acting like nothing ever happened to our friendship and now I still don't know and don't dare ask what happened. I don't "pal" around with him but we are friends.

35 years later another "friend" has done me the same way. No explanation, just "I'm no longer comfortable with (this relationship)". Now I can chalk Data's unreasonableness to childishness but this other is from a friend in their 30s! Of course, once they sent the email I sent one back basically asking "why?" but all I get is cold, dead silence. They had sent me an email earlier in the day and were quite friendly, and gave no indication of the Jekyll/Hyde syndrome I was about to experience again. You know what, it still hurts. It hurt at 10 and it hurts at 49. If I did something wrong I'd like a chance to explain or apologize. Maybe they misunderstood something I said, or did, or wrote but apparently I will never know. For Christians there is a way things ought to be handled. "Love thinketh no evil" (I Cor. 13) so a benefit of doubt should be given until the matter is discussed. If a Christian has anything against their fellow Christian they are supposed to go to that person and address the matter between them alone (Mt. 18). This was not done. It was just "I feel...I feel...I feel..." with no consideration to the Scriptures or how anyone else feels. No Golden Rule in force here. Shock has been replaced with frustration, irritation and resignation. So what are the lessons here?

1) Christians aren't perfect, sometimes they aren't even mature. (Ps. 146)

2) Christ is perfect and will never fail you or treat you like yesterday's newspaper. (Ps. 146 again!)

3) Christ's Word is true regardless of the fact some Christians don't live by it!
Don't throw out the truth because some profess it but don't live by it.

4) FIDO! (Forget It & Drive On!) (Ph. 3:13ff)

Do I hope this person reads this blog and at least knows how I feel? Guess it doesn't matter. I haven't even told them I have a blog. At least Data's still my friend.