Luke 6:27-36 (NLT) - Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say,
love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless
those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.29 If
someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands
your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks;
and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to
others as you would like them to do to you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, why should
you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if
you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even
sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only
to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend
to other sinners for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to
them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very
great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is
kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must
be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”
Ephesians 4:1-3 (NLT) - Unity in the Body
4 Therefore
I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your
calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and
gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults
because of your love. 3 Make
every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves
together with peace.
It happened at Home Depot. I stopped in to pick up some rope
to repair my cat scratching post and visit some former coworkers. It was
a wonderful trip – I reunited with friends I hadn’t seen in ages. I
caught up with my girlfriend, Linda – we went back and forth talking about how
the Spirit was leading us. She told me what she thought of the blog thus
far, and we shared how we’d both had Martha days recently – and that both of us
very much realized the consequences of such and both would far prefer to be
Mary. It was all so lovely and good.
And on my way out, I stopped to chat with my friend, Dan and let
him know I’d send him an email when I got home. A clearance display with
some of my favorite seasonal Glade fragrances caught my eye – I was delighted
at the price! My exact words were: “I love, love, LOVE…” as I
walked over to pick up the cans of frosted sugar cookie and merry citrus melody
– and then I heard it. An aisle over, someone mimicking me – mocking
me. “I love, love, LOVE…”
I stopped dead in my tracks. My friend asked what was
wrong. I told him some customers an aisle over were making fun of me,
repeating my words with sarcasm… He wandered over to peek down the aisle,
perhaps not believing me because he didn’t hear anything. Hurt, I
retorted in a sharp tone – “I HEARD THAT!” And murmured to myself about how
mean and unnecessary their actions were as I gathered the canisters into my
cart.
My friend brushed it off and came back shaking his head – but I
didn’t. I had already internalized it and reacted. It could have
gone very differently - it should have gone differently based
on what I had been studying last night and today. And I think I even
realized as soon as I’d issued my verbal reprimand that I was wrong in doing so
– wrong in the wording of my response and wrong in the curt tone of my
delivery. I did discuss it thoroughly with God on the short drive home…
and several of the things He’s told me the past few days came straight to the
front of my mind.
Of course, first I remembered vividly my studies from last night
and this morning - the passage in Luke commending us to love our enemies.
I also remembered just a few days ago Jesus Himself warned me that many would
not understand my dedication to God – and that lots of folks wouldn’t get the en
theos that I’ve got… my enthusiasm that runneth over – all over the
place. He told me that I would be mocked and ridiculed, and that nothing
I would experience would be unlike anything those that have gone before me have
endured. He reminded me specifically not be downcast about this because I
was not created to fit in, but designed and born to stand out. I also
recalled Paul’s exhortation to be humble and gentle, at once realizing there
was nothing meek or gentle about the manner in which I’d reacted. And
other urgings in the Bible came to mind - those to bear with one another in love,
forgiving just as God has forgiven us. And even further Spirit
enlightenment on that subject from this morning’s reflection. I
confessed my shortcoming in reacting out of emotion as opposed to choosing how
to respond and being led by the Spirit in that situation and sought forgiveness
for not living up to the call on my life.
At first, I was determined to carry that burden longer than I
needed to - I lamented my poor behavior, almost wallowing in having let God
down. But I realized Jesus had forgiven me the moment I’d begun praying
and seeking Him about the subject. So I asked Him to help me forgive
myself… thankfully He’s very good about that. With that out of the way,
there was room to LEARN from this experience…
[Jesus told me Sunday (when I had my Martha’ing fiasco) that some
lessons I would have to learn, not so much the hard way, but by making mistakes
so that I could understand the consequences of not obeying His divine
instruction… whether from the Word or something I had been hand fed by God in
my personal time with the Lord. And I realize as I’m writing this that as
part of this process, I will have to learn how to more quickly forgive myself
so that I don’t get hung up in the devil’s trap of self-imposed guilt and shame
that keeps me from making the progress intended.]
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Back to the LEARNING...
Well, last night, my first reading of the Luke passage, I was
quite certain I had no enemies to speak of – even those who have hurt me in the
past, I carry no grudges toward in the present. Now having had that
interaction, I realize that just by the very nature of who I am as a devoted
Christian, some in this world (OF this world specifically) will choose to set
themselves up and act as enemies toward me, even if I mean them no harm at all
– like what happened earlier. And it is my responsibility as one called
by God to choose how to respond in these situations – to be led by the Spirit
in LOVE – as opposed to reacting out of hurt feelings and damaged emotions.
I recognize now that I reacted so viscerally because even though Jesus had warned me that I’d be mocked, and even though I realize folks at the grocery store just days ago probably wondered what asylum I had wandered out of with all my extra, I’d never experienced the criticism or heard it directly. I didn’t know it was going to sound like THAT – that it was going to feel like THAT. It stung right to my core. Being ridiculed for my enthusiasm, I’m sure it’s happened before. And even though I logically know that a lot of folks won’t get my I-walk-around-in-the-Joy-of-the-Lord and have excitement bubbling over personality and manner, I just wasn’t expecting THAT.
I know that most people’s instinct is to criticize and demean what they don’t understand. Logically, I get it. Now removed from the whole situation, it does make me sad for them that to make themselves feel better in that moment they needed to make fun of me. It pulls on my heart of compassion, realizing they aren't gifted as I am with the presence of God within them everywhere they go lighting up their lives. Knowing they don’t have what I do – this abundant JOY that overflows. And to realize that they’re still so narrow minded that even when they overhear the Joy of the Lord, they have no appreciation for it – their only inclination is to mock it.
Looking
back, I understand why I said what I did. I was unprepared even having
been warned. It hurt… a LOT. It was unexpected. I felt
blindsided and reacted. But now, I know and can choose better how
to respond in the future so long as I stay grounded in Christ and keep my heart
and mind trained on the Spirit's leadership and guidance in such situations.
In the
car, while examining the situation by the help of the Spirit, I imagined
how it must have felt to the apostles gone before being ridiculed and made fun
of. I’m sure it felt agonizing to Jesus being mocked on the cross as He
hung dying for us all, including those laughing at Him in scorn. But in
all grace and setting the ultimate example, He prayed, “Forgive them, Father,
for they know not what they do.”
I realize
THAT should have been my response. To pray for them… for those that mock
the Joy of the Lord because they don’t understand, because they don’t
know. Thereby choosing not to internalize the hurt and pain, but to
extend grace and mercy freely to my haters, just as it has been shown to
me. Because I am called, because I am HIS. And by His grace at work
in me, I am well capable and fully equipped to do so… And so are you.
__________________
I realize
this may be a difficult message to hear. It is not a natural instinct to
love those who harm you. None of this is meant to be accomplished of your
own means… None of anything we are called to do by the Word is meant to be done
on our own.
I realize
that in this moment you may not believe yourself capable of immediately
extending grace and forgiveness in hurtful situations, but I encourage you to
stretch your faith and remind yourself that GOD is in control if you will
submit yourself wholly to Him. With Him and by His power, ALL things are
possible. He is not at all limited by what you bring to the table or by
your own ability to understand, imagine or reason through a
situation.
He is not limited by anything.
If that
is hard for you to wrap your mind around, I get it. I strongly urge you
to pray through it. Ask God to work on your heart – ask Him specifically
to help you take Him out of the box you have put Him in and realize that He is
GOD. Ask Him to reveal the Truth of the verse to you:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10
Meditate
on that word. Consider mind wandering on it a bit and expounding on what
every part of it means to you and what that means for your life. Ask the
Spirit to help you internalize that truth because it is a game changer.
__________
"We all make mistakes sometimes,
we've all stepped across that line..."
We have every reason to extend all grace and mercy to others because we are always in such desperate need of it ourselves - and in truth, it has been poured out on us so freely, we should never withhold it from another for any reason.
______________
Until next time…
Be blessed!!! <3
© K. Michelle Payne 2015
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