"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19

While swimming laps today I began to think about the above verse from Colossians. In this new testament book Collosians, Paul makes some very grand statements about Christ. Examples: He fills all thinsg..in Him all things consist etc.

When I thought about all things being reconciled..I thought of all the things and relationships in my life that I could not really call "reconciled". For example I thought of choices I had made as a youth that I still wish I had done differently. Here I am 58 years old and I still wish I had another chance to do some things differently from when I was 18 or 19! I continually dream of having that chance and trying to change a choice or a relationship..but I just can't get there. My dreams haunt me.

So although God has reconciled all things to himself..through the cross, how do I reconcile my lost dreams and live in peace with them.

Well I don't have this all worked out yet..but I'll bet the answer is faith. Faith is the magic key to all things..(correct faith in the right person!!).

So could this inward trial or affliction of wishing for another chance to do things different really be the Spirit groaning within me? Paul tells us in Romans 8 that the Spirit helps us pray..and we don't know how..so the Spirit groans within us, with pleadings too deep for words.. Is it God's kingdom coming into view where we are all reconciled to each other as we are to Him? Is this the prayer of "thy kingdom come"? Is it the the hope of the Lion lying down with the lamb?

The reason I say all this is I/we so often see ourselves so independantly from this world Paul describes in Colossians where Christ is all in all..where Christ fills all things. Maybe this isn't some hopeless unending dream I have every few weeks, where I miss the boat again on a life choice; but the Spirit slowly pulling my little corner of this tattered universe into full reconciliation with myself, and others ( I am allready fully reconciled to him case closed).

Paul a few verses later in Colossians talks about filling up in his body the afflictions of Christ which are lacking!
Now I don't pretend to have any idea of what Paul is talking about in this puzzling verse; but could these inner groans we all have of sadnesses and regrets perhaps be the Spirit knitting a new creation in us and our fellows.

Well I sure like thinking that rather than the fact I am an aging man..getting to the later
stages of my life, with an unreconciled past that I can't do a damn thing about.

The whole creation is groaning, says Paul, until the Sons of God are revealed. The earth is in the first stages of childbirth and from what I hear that is a long painful labor. The good news is that the beautiful baby is coming! The joyous reunion with our friends and family and enemies and best of all our sweet Lord Jesus is at hand. For now we live in faith and patience with our inner afflictions..experiencing the first fruits of the Spirit..the down payment on our inheritance.

Ok Scott B. whats your point?? Well what I am trying to say is when you suffer internally over some unreconciled fact in your life..a past event or present, know that you are not alone. The Spirit is bringing forth the peaceable kingdom in His due time and he is doing it possibly..just possibly... through you.