I had planned on writing about something else as I stated in my last post, but that can wait for now. I wanted to share a significant recent event.
I think as a Christian, it can be a tough call at times how we handle the situations we encounter with others. I often think of the wisdom of Jesus when He said that we should be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. Sometimes I’m good at the innocent part, but this also tends to get me into some trouble in the area of remaining shrewd and vigilant. When the shrewd part of me comes out, I worry I haven’t been compassionate enough, turned the other cheek, or prayed for my enemies as God would have me do. I have concern that perhaps I’m being judgmental, because only God can judge righteously. Only God can see the depths of another person’s heart.
There is one particular time I remember a few years ago, when someone did something to me that was quite cruel actually. It was a colleague that I worked with at the time. I of course was angry and thinking that surely this was some sort of low-life of an individual. I remember arriving home later that evening, as the Holy Spirit immediately prompted me to forgive, and to get on my knees and pray for this person. I remember so distinctly the words “You must forgive. You don’t know the burdens he carries.” And so I did. I did know some of his circumstances, and so I could understand this most certainly. However, God certainly saw and understood the whole of a situation I could never see the way He did.
I remember a letting go in my heart of the offense, and I actually sent an email eventually as a peace offering. I think this person was astounded to be quite honest. We haven’t spoken since, but the matter was left in peace and I truly wished him well and freed from his burdens.
I encountered a situation recently with a person who I believe was not being honest with me. I even believe I was perhaps warned about my involvement with this person, but didn't want to read too much into the experience at first. This has turned out to be quite a different experience than the one mentioned above. A few days after a confrontation that did not go well, I was feeling rather put off by it all, and just sad. I was already missing this person, and compassion arose in my heart toward them. Immediately the phrase, “Sympathy for the devil” became prominent within my heart and mind. And then: “You must stop having sympathy for Satan.” Whoa…I wasn’t expecting this. It certainly stopped me in my tracks.
Throughout the day, whenever I would think of this person and begin to feel badly, those words would come to me over and over again. As I was driving home from work…it happened again.
So, evidently, I’m not supposed to have any sympathy toward this person's actions. I’ll leave the reasons why to God. There are those situations that we must leave with God alone. I remember reading a blog post of a follower of this blog, in which the writer stated she felt she was told not to pray for a particular person. God has His reasons.
I don’t think this type of experience is for those people of faith who are more simple minded, and only feel comfortable with one type or kind of image of Jesus. I’ve seen this so much within Christianity over the years, in that, many are serving only an image of Jesus that brings them certain comfort or fits with their own ideals of who they want Him to be. In my experience, if you really want to know Him for who He really is, you have to check this at the door. For those who are willing to walk with Him, He is utterly amazing…and can never be put in a box.
Jesus is as shrewd as He is humble and merciful. We shouldn’t expect or demand one without the other to suit ourselves.
