The sweater

A poem.

Yesterday I wore

the sweater that I semi-stole

from you the last time you were here.

You let me wear it

Since I was cold that morning,

With a smile and wink saying

“now I better get that back.”

With the full knowledge

That you wouldn’t.

Yesterday I wore

That sweater,

Because I needed your arms around me

But the closest thing I had was sleeves and

Sometimes three hundred miles

Can be remedied by a sweater

And a cell phone.

Then there are times when it cannot be.

And all I have are sleeves, and not arms.

And the sweater that once held you around me

Doesn’t keep me warm.

-Alexa Schuele

repercussion

We are important. What we do is important. Every choice we make has an effect not only on our current temporal lives, but on the temporal lives of others. For each action there is a reaction a consequence. A kindness paid to someone will be recognized, and a disservice to another also will be. They may be noticed up front and the reaction or consequence will happen to us directly as a result. We choose to act kindly towards a friend, who repays us with an act of kindness the next day, or week. Or the reaction is passed on to someone else. When a person witnesses an interaction of kindness between strangers, many times her life is touched. The result, either conscious or unconscious, can be as simple as a smile on the witness’s face or as significant as renewed hope in humanity. But, the stranger who initiated the kindness, and the stranger who accepted it will never know. What we do matters, even if we do not see the impact.

The connected nature of reality is so present in every life. We have a desire to be around people and to have relationships with others. And the choices we make, each day, big and small affect others. This is not a new concept, the repercussions of life. But to think of it as something that God has desired for us, to be effected and to affect others is written into the very nature of our being. It is not good for man to be alone. In Genesis we learn that relationships of any type, from marriage to mentor, are a gift from God. They are for the betterment of our lives and we should recognize their importance.

But, relationships are not only able to affect our temporal lives. Humans are body and spirit, inseparable until death, and then rejoined at the final resurrection. We have the power to not only affect other’s lives by our actions, but also their spirits. We can bring others closer to God; we can reveal him, even act as a catalyst for a conversion. This is the deeper reason for relationships; friends are not only for company, but also for the betterment of our lives. We are called to bring others closer to God through our actions, and in turn be brought closer to God through our friendships.

Actions are not the only way to affect others, a physical interaction is not necessary to bring others closer to Christ. Let us not forget the power of prayer. We are able to ask for God’s grace to pour out more heavily on those who we pray for. In the act of praying for others both people in the relationship are fulfilling that deeper reason of a relationship, bringing each other closer to God. When we offer up prayers for others the grace poured onto them, if accepted, brings them closer to God. The one offering up the intention also receives grace from spending more time in prayer, and the love between the friends has brought that person to their knees, and also closer to God.

We should be spending time in friendship's company, but we should also be spending time praying for others, affecting and being affected by others in their company and also through prayer. We are all connected; it is what we were made for. The Body of Christ. The Universal Church. Our choices affect the outcome of not only our lives, but also the lives of others. What choices will you make?