Drawing the Circle Wide

Sometimes people like to exclude you from their circles. We are not always sure why and sometimes we do know why. In any case it doesn’t feel good to be rejected by others. Some people reject you to make you feel bad. Some people don’t even think about how their rejection affects you.

I am glad that “…God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:9 NIV) We don’t deserve God’s love, but he loves us anyway. Christ laid down his life for us. We are called to follow Christ but laying down our lives for someone who doesn’t deserve love is a really hard thing to do.

When people reject me and draw lines to exclude me from their circle, I just draw my circle wide and include them in my circle. This doesn’t mean I want to be with their bad behavior. It means I won’t let their exclusion of me be the last word.

In the world of Bible translations there are literal word for word translations, but these often don’t read well. Many translations attempt to say what the original language of the Bible said in our modern way of speaking so that it sounds more natural. Paraphrases take liberty to convey more ancient ideas in contemporary language. A dynamic equivalent translation attempts to reproduce the impact today that the original passage had when it was first written down. The following is from The Message Bible that takes this dynamic approach;

“All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.” - 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

I like the phrase, “the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.” The Greek word ‘reconciliation’ used in this passage means to make friends again. It is really clear in this translation that God settled our relationship with him, and we should settle our relationships with one another. “Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.”

Reconciliation is not always seen in a good light with Indigenous people in Canada because some say, “We were never friends to begin with so how can we become friends again?” The terrible damage inflicted on Indigenous people by colonization and Indian Residential Schools are not the result of friendship! And yet when Indigenous people were asked what the solution to this harm the reply in the 1991-1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was, “Return to the treaty relationship.” 

This sounds like drawing the circle to include those who have rejected you by their broken promises.

Even though treaties have all been broken by the colonial system over and over again, Indigenous people, in an act of forgiveness, want to return to the treaty table. In every return to the treaty table Indigenous people are saying to Canada, “We forgive your past violations of your pledged word. We believe that this time you will keep your sacred covenant with us.” This sounds like drawing the circle to include those who have rejected you by their broken promises. This sounds like the grace and love of Jesus we all don’t deserve.

“God please draw your circle to include me even though my sin has drawn a circle excluding you. Forgive me and help me live in your covenant circle of grace. I don’t deserve this but Jesus showed your love for me by laying down his life. I am so thankful for your creation that shows this grace as well, giving its life so that others can live.”

Photo by Kimson Doan on Unsplash