Yada Yada Lessons

(Originally written for the school newspaper.)

Sometimes we can learn important lessons from silly books. That’s what happened for me – reading The Yada Yada Prayer Group taught me a good lesson about community. Let me share.

The book tells the story of several women who are randomly matched to pray together at a women’s conference. When the conference ends, they keep their prayer group going, supporting each other in prayer and fellowship. But they begin to learn about some significant differences between them.

Before she came to Christ, social services took Flo’s children from her. Now after she has been “five years saved and five years sober,” Flo’s daughter is lost in a foster care bureaucracy. Flo will do anything to have her daughter back. The group is ready to support her – except for Ruth. Ruth was a foster mom who dearly loved the child in her care and wanted to adopt her. After five years, however, the father suddenly appeared and decided he wanted the girl back. Losing the girl she loved tore Ruth (and her marriage) apart. She therefore wonders if Flo’s daughter would be better remaining with her foster family. Flo obviously doesn’t agree and asks, “Does that make us enemies, Ruth?”

What would we do in this situation – if we were one of these women, or if we were a member of the group? Would we remain in fellowship with someone who promoted a situation that caused us such pain? Would we hold the tension and embrace both women, or would we choose sides?

The Yada Yada Prayer Group stood together and loved both women as they expressed their pain. They didn’t let Flo dominate their sympathies, and they didn’t let Ruth withdraw so as not to rock the boat. Flo and Ruth embraced each other with forgiveness despite their pain. Their problems weren’t erased, but they remained in the fellowship together.

The Body of Christ is all about making unity from diversity. So is our school. We have a lot of different kinds of people with different perspectives and problems here. Throughout the year we are going to have conflicts that will threaten to polarize us. But we are a piece of the Body of Christ, and we need to build and maintain community at all costs. “Father, I pray that they can be one… then the world will believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21).

One more thing – this story also helped to teach me that who I am and how I feel is valid. Ruth didn’t want to mention her pain because it clashed with Flo’s joy when her daughter was found, but the prayer group encouraged her to share how she really felt. One person’s joy does not invalidate another person’s pain, and one person’s pain does cancel out another person’s joy. And I am not really a part of the community if I do not reveal myself.