The Body of Christ:

Pessimism, Repentance, and Gratitude

By: Benjamin Leonard

I must confess I have in the past been quite pessimistic about people, especially church people.  I have to constantly fight the desire to think less of people than I should and rarely give the benefit of the doubt.  Jeremy has told me how great of a church Heartland has been and how well they have cared for him and his family.  I have to say I was a little cautious about this.  I indeed wanted to believe everything he had to say, but I was still very cautious.  As I was reading this morning the author began to discuss 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Love believes all things.”  The author writes, ‘“To believe all things” means we are to believe the best about others.”  It was at this point that I realized I was in the wrong.  Church your love for me and my family has refreshed for us a picture of the love found in the body of Christ.  Your love for us has not been an empty gesture.  Your love for us has been selfless and sacrificial.  Many of you I do not even know your names yet you have loved on us more than we could have ever fathomed. We would like to express our humble gratitude to you the church for all that you have done for us.  You made the moving in quick.  You solved problems with our apartment without us even asking.  You have helped my wife with the children while she tries to unpack.  You have showered us with food. You have spent your evenings fixing our dryer.  You have prayed for me and my wreck.  You have done more than I could have ever asked for or thought about.  But most of all thank you for showing us once again what the body of Christ is supposed to look like in a real way. 

Sincerely,

Benjamin Leonard and Family