CONTEMPLETIVE

Paul said, "For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me" (Romans 1:11-12). It is so easy for us to recognize verse 11 without completing the thought with verse 12. He was comforted with them by the "mutual" faith (receiving as much from them as he gave to them) of their reciprocal interaction with him. Acting in community is not complete without reaction. It is as much what others do to and with us as it is what we do to and with them. Yes, being conscious of ourselves gives us a greater consciousness of others. Conscious of ourselves in the sense of what effect are we having; what responsibility to we own in their reactions to us. This takes great consciousness, and great contemplation. From one stage of life to the other the curtains draw together and they open. In the times they are closed the chance to rearrange the set is available to us; once the curtain is re-opened, we can only work with the way things are. Contemplation sets the stage.