Been stung lately?Not by a bee or a scorpion.
The human variety. The sting of rudeness, slander, anger, maliciousness. The sting of such things can poison our hearts and change our spirits...if we let it.
The story is told of an old man who liked to meditate every morning under the shade of a big tree on the bank of the Ganges River. One day, after he'd completed his morning ritual, he noticed a scorpion tangled in the tree roots at the water's edge. As the scorpion struggled to free itself, the current from the river threatened to submerge the helpless animal.
The old man crawled out on the roots of the tree and reached over to save the scorpion from drowning. For all of his effort, the old man was rewarded with a sting from the distressed creature. The old man recoiled in pain, but soon gained his composure and again extended his hand to save the scorpion. And this went on for some time until the old man's hands were swollen with the venom from the scorpion.
A passer-by shouted to the old man: "Are you crazy? Why do you want to save such a vile creature that is so intent upon harming you?"
"It is the scorpion's nature to sting," said the old man, "but why should that change my nature to help?"
Listen to the wisdom in the streets. Take to heart what television programs and movies tell us about "revenge." Linger in just about any break room in any office complex and listen in on the daily chatter. The word is out: Let the stingers beware! The cliche' "it's a dog-eat-dog world" begins to make sense when we absence the gospel and the Lordship of Christ.
Jesus' actions at the cross are necessary for our salvation. His words at the cross show us what it means to live nobly as people of the gospel in a world that gets out of bed with their stingers on guard! With ignorance, hate and malice standing before his pain-racked body he said, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing" (Luke 24:34). Paul said, "Bless those who persecute you, bless and curse not....Never pay back evil for evil to anyone" (Romans 12:14, 17)
Our commitment to non-retaliation is a moral thing with us, but when viewed in the practical experience of everyday life the implication is much bigger. It shows "stingers" the dignity, power and beauty we are capable of as human beings when the Spirit of Christ rules in our hearts.
Father, give us such a heart. We are susceptible to the poison of hate, malice and revenge. The stings we experience can send this poison coursing through our veins. We are tempted to hear only: "it's your right" - destroy! Save us from such thoughts and their progression into action. Bathe our hearts with your grace and a greater sense of our calling to be the presence of Christ in those moments when we hurt so bad. Give us the continual ministry of your Spirit so that we can live beyond the seductive reach of our own sense of justice and injustice. And, may we genuinely seek out how we can do good even to those who sting us. Because of Jesus....Amen.
Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas
No comments:
Post a Comment