{"id":1624,"date":"2022-05-09T07:52:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T11:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=1624"},"modified":"2022-05-09T07:52:54","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T11:52:54","slug":"the-best-version-of-ourselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/09\/the-best-version-of-ourselves\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Version of Ourselves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You never know what you might hear when the best man proposes a toast at a wedding reception.
\u00a0
Everything depends, of course, on the relationship between the best man and the groom.\u00a0 Not to mention whether he\u2019s already had a few drinks too many.\u00a0 And whether he\u2019s comfortable as a public speaker, capable of \u201clanding the plane\u201d before everyone gets restless. \u00a0Guests may hear fond memories, gentle ribbing, old jokes, and stories that have never been told \u2013 and perhaps should remain untold.\u00a0
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Every now and then there are moments of raw honesty, which prompt those in attendance to hold their collective breath.\u00a0
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Scott Sauls, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, remembers such an occasion.\u00a0 The best man was the groom\u2019s brother.\u00a0 He stood, turned to his brother, and said, \u201cIt\u2019s no secret to anyone here that I have never liked you.\u201d\u00a0
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Now that\u2019s an interesting way to begin a toast.
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\u201cAll of our lives we have fought and argued and been like oil and water.\u00a0 We are still very different in many ways.\u00a0 But I have grown to love the person you have become since the day you met her<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 And here he looked straight at the bride.\u00a0 \u201cThe more you are with her<\/em>, the more I am drawn to you<\/em>. \u00a0The more you are with her<\/em>, the more I see in you the best version of yourself.\u201d
\u00a0
As Sauls reflected on this unusual moment, he realized it provided a profound picture of how being with Jesus has the power to change us.
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It can\u2019t be denied that outsiders have grounds for believing that church people who hang out with other church people sometimes become more angry, rigid, and even hateful.\u00a0 But there\u2019s a discernible difference when people choose to spend more time with Jesus.\u00a0 The more we are with him<\/em>, the more people will experience the best version of ourselves.\u00a0
\u00a0
Haltingly but persistently, hypocrites begin to be more authentic.\u00a0 Liars begin to value the truth.\u00a0 Judgmental people begin to exhibit softer hearts.\u00a0 Arrogant people become more approachable.\u00a0 Gruff people gradually try on kindness.\u00a0 Selfish people start to learn what it means to be servants.\u00a0
\u00a0
Author Rita Snowden remembers sitting in a caf\u00e9 late one afternoon in a small village near Dover, England.
\u00a0
As she was sipping her tea, she was suddenly overwhelmed by an astonishing fragrance.\u00a0 It was quite simply one of the most pleasant aromas she had ever smelled.
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\u201cWhere is that coming from?\u201d she asked her server.\u00a0 He explained that it was being carried by the workers from a nearby perfume factory.\u00a0 They had finished their shift and were walking down the street, on their way home.\u00a0 Their clothing was permeated by the fragrances they had been working on all day.
\u00a0
Everywhere we go, we carry around the aroma of who we truly are and what we genuinely believe.
\u00a0
During the days of the Roman Empire, conquering troops would parade through Rome, leading the prisoners they had captured. Conquerors and prisoners alike walked across flower petals strewn on the streets by the crowds.\u00a0 The resulting fragrance was a reminder to everyone present of the strength and glory of Rome.
\u00a0
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15: \u201cBut thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ\u2019s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Those who spend time with Jesus remind others of the strength and glory of God.
\u00a0
May those we meet today catch a scent of something beautiful, humble, and hopeful in our lives.
\u00a0
And that others would be glad of our presence.\u00a0 And sorry to see us go.\u00a0
\u00a0
And ultimately come to realize that because we\u2019ve been with him<\/em>, we\u2019re slowly becoming the best version of ourselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You never know what you might hear when the best man proposes a toast at a wedding reception.\u00a0Everything depends, of course, on the relationship between the best man and the groom.\u00a0 Not to mention whether he\u2019s already had a few drinks too many.\u00a0 And whether he\u2019s comfortable as a public speaker, capable of \u201clanding the plane\u201d before everyone gets restless…. Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1625,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[435],"class_list":["post-1624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-fragrance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1624"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1626,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624\/revisions\/1626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}