Elephant in the Room

People are people. Though thousands of years have come and gone since Adam and Eve, the nature of humanity remains the same. It amazes me how unique we each are, yet how similar the thread of humanity weaves into our nature. We’re predictable, can be categorized by different personality types, maintain similar preferences, and mirror sheep in our congregational followings.
The same yet different, which is precisely how God made us. Only He knows why.
He created us in His image and for His glory. One aspect of our lives expressing said image is our capacity for relationships. From birth on, relationships immerse us. We automatically belong to a mother and father, sometimes siblings, and we grow to find friends. Other relationships we encounter remain distant—between us and the store clerk, our bosses, coworkers, and clients. Relationships span as far as the horizon and impact every area of our lives.
One peculiarity we experience at some point in relationships is the “elephant-in-the-room” phenomena.  Far from fortunate, elephant-in-the-room situations stint our relationships and can extinguish authenticity quicker than birthday candles on a cake.
A relational “elephant” is any unresolved issue, problem, or behavior left unaddressed. If not confronted, it grows from a baby elephant (a minor issue) into a big elephant (a huge issue) laying a thick blanket of awkwardness in every conversation and interaction.
Honesty and humble confrontation prevent elephants-in-the-room effectively. However, sometimes the situation remains out of our control, and we’re left (because of status or other confine) working around the elephant.
Though surprising, Jesus encountered elephant-in-the-room situations. Of course, He (being God-incarnate and everything) picked up on elephants when everyone else remained ignorant. He perceived the hearts of individuals around Him. Definitely not a pleasant ability.
One such experience involved His relationship with Judas Iscariot—the disciple infamously known for betraying Him. Can you imagine the tension? Judas followed Jesus as His disciple (which meant student or personal apprentice far exceeding any practice of the sort today). He observed and participated in His ministry for dozens of months—witnessing miracles and listening to truth all in the context of being in Christ’s inner circle.
One can only imagine the elephant-in-the-room between those two. The other disciples most likely remained unaware of the beast, but Jesus and Judas knew, and it must have plagued them both mercilessly.
The tension climaxed at the Last Supper, the meal during which Judas would leave early to officiate the betrayal.
Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His house had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and…began to wash the disciples’ feet.
John 13:1-5
Did you catch Jesus’ response to the elephant-in-the-room? Well aware that His time had come (He would soon die on the cross for the sins of humanity and rise again to be with the Father, ushering in a new era of His kingdom), He humbled Himself. He refused the address the elephant because He knew Gethsemane was coming, yet in His final moments with Judas, He performed the greatest act of humility known to man at the time—He washed His feet.
Jesus died for Judas. He died for his sins just as He died for yours and mine. The elephant wouldn’t get in the way of what He was called to do, and He refused to let it interfere. Sometimes we must do the same.
Though oftentimes it’s appropriate and commendable to clear the air and work to eliminate the tension, sometimes it’s unavoidable. If so, we must push on and fulfill the role God calls us to. We must not allow inconvenience or awkwardness stand in the way of His calling in our lives.
If we do our best to deal with a situation yet it remains unresolved, surrender it to God and pursue what He’s called you to regardless. Christ knew Judas’ heart. He knew what Judas was planning and what he would do. He knew all this from the beginning, but allowed it anyway. He never compromised God’s plan for His own comfort, even if it meant dealing with an elephant-in-the-room situation for months.
Relationships weave in and out of bad and good, rich and sour. God calls us to be at peace with all men to the best of our ability, yet without neglecting His purposes for our lives. If ever a discrepancy between the two arises, follow Jesus—humble yourself, and let God’s perspective and purposes reign as your own. Master the elephant; don’t let it master you.