Recently, God has taken me through a study that has led me to the realization that living an authentic Christian life means losing some battles. There are going to be times when we fail miserably, are lied about, deceived, and disappointed, as well as times when we lie, deceive, and disappoint others.
So what's the proper response to these experiences? Throw up our hands in frustration and remove ourselves from the human adventure? Perhaps we should become bitter and judgmental, expecting little or nothing from others. A look at the word may help put this in perspective.
Jesus says "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great in your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12.
This sounds crazy! How can being lied about and punished for nothing result in a blessing? How could it possibly be a good thing?
Physically, and emotionally these things are not pleasant. They hurt, they damage, they break down, but if we press into God's Goodness at these low times, and focus on His example of how to deal with these types of people (remember as he was being tortured and KILLED from false accusations He prayed for THEIR salvation and THEIR forgiveness) we begin to learn something:
God is bigger than other people's pettiness. God's purposes for our lives go way beyond the emotional pain caused by others. So forgive them, let them off the hook so that you can focus on the good work God has planned for you. We cannot focus both on the pain we fell and the pure, free, merciful, Glory of God Almighty.
When you have a hard time letting others off the hook, think of a time when you were the cause of someone else's pain, heartbreak, downfall, or stumbling. How did you feel. What did you want more than anything? Forgiveness perhaps?
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