Here are two true stories. The first taught me a spiritual lesson, and the second illustrates how this lesson might be applied in our relationships with fellow church members.
I rowed competitively in and after college. In 2000 my wife bought me a single shell, and I returned to the water. In 2005, after investing in coaching, putting in thousands of miles on the water and even more on my rowing machine, I was eagerly preparing to travel across the country to race, for the fourth time, against others in my age group in the USRowing Masters National Championships.
I had no medals to show for my previous efforts, but this time early-season results indicated things might be different. Less than two weeks before I was to leave, in the last stages of a vigorous workout on the water, I suddenly felt a strain in my back.
