Life contains difficult choices. One of those choices is whether or not to defend ourselves.
I remember receiving a nasty anonymous letter once. As a young pastor, I read negative rantings about all important matters like my making too many photocopies for handouts at church, which wasted our ink and toner. Although the letter was anonymous, I knew who wrote it. The flesh in me wanted to strike out in anger and let him have it. When someone else has spoken despairingly about us – whether verbally or in writing – the natural instinct within most people is to rise up and defend ourselves.
With social media, it is easy to quickly defend ourselves, correct others, or spew negativity with a few clicks. Email, texting, and cell phones make it simple to respond in the flesh instead of cooling down and asking God for wisdom. Today, it only takes a few seconds to ruin a reputation or burn a bridge.
People misunderstood, misrepresented, and mistreated Jesus Christ. Mocked and maligned, he was led on a path out of Jerusalem and nailed to a tree. Instead of returning evil for evil, he gave a blessing. He asked the Father to forgive them. While cursed and killed, the Bible says he quietly entrusted Himself to the Father. Although he could have called a legion of angels to do his bidding, annihilating any resistance by willing it into existence, he did not. He refused revenge. He chose not to respond. Instead, he trusted God. He forgave. He loved.
In her devotion Streams in the Desert, L. B. Cowman writes, “What grace it requires when we are misunderstood yet handle it correctly, or when we are judged unkindly yet receive it in holy sweetness! Nothing tests our character as a Christian more than having something evil said about us. This kind of grinding test is what exposes whether we are solid gold or simply gold-plated metal.
Some Christians are easily turned away from the greatness of their life’s calling by pursuing instead their own grievances and enemies. They ultimately turn their lives into one petty whirlwind of warfare. It reminds me of trying to deal with a hornet’s nest. You may be able to disperse the hornets, but you will probably be terribly stung and receive nothing for your pain, for even their honey has no value.”
The next time someone wrongs you, think twice before setting them straight. You might get stung!
When you feel you have been mistreated, maligned, or misunderstood, instead of lashing out in retaliation, let Jesus’ model governor your mouth. You can quietly entrust yourself to God.
