Lessons From An Inner Circle

I was told about a remote tribal village that was being studied as a community. They were very close and relatively peaceful and happy. One of the remarkable traditions that I find so compelling, is the way they held order and disciplined the unruly among them. The offender would be brought out in the open, and the whole village, young and old would gather in a tight circle around him. You might think at this point a tribal court of some kind was held, or a stoning might occur. But instead, the man was to stand there for a long period of time, and listen to every last one of the villagers share a positive memory, act, or attribute about him. A constant stream of words of affirmation! In my imagination, having to stand and hear such things would drench my soul in many areas left dry by the neglect of the power of positive and honest words. We as a society, and the Church, would do well to treat those who have offended us with such a needed and neglected form of care. To reflect to them our belief in there better side, the one the Creator intended, being reflected back to the them in our eyes. Giving this kind of Love can restore those who have lost themselves in sin.