What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization.
~ Abraham Maslow
He flattered himself on being a man without any prejudices, and this pretension itself is a very great prejudice.
~Anatole France (1844-1924)
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in 1 Corinthians 4
Oh beloved, it is true. We rail against anything, anything that rubs up against our comfort. The impulses of flesh and early childhood scream out like the cries of a stubborn infant refusing to sleep. We know that if we leave the child safely in its bed, it will eventually drop off to sleep, and learn to trust that life is OK, even if they have to wait a few minutes for something. But as the screams continue, we often fall to the temptation to give the baby what it wants. And in indulging the flesh, it screams all the louder the next opportunity it gets.
And what often rubs us the wrong way is other people.
And in getting rubbed the wrong way the first impulse is to judge that person as wrong, bad or even evil. Somehow, we place ourselves squarely in the center of our tiny little world and grow angry at the perceived wrongs inflicted by others like some soldier who becomes angry when the enemy is really shooting at him.
How dare they!
Don’t they understand?
I don’t like it when he (or she, or they) do(es) that!
We somehow go from resting in belief, to full battle stations, faster than we can even comprehend. And in leaping back up onto the throne of our life, we rip the scepter of authority back from the One who has given us the Life we now live. Something tells us that we are about to do something really stupid – yet still we scramble up – even as the bitter taste in the throat of our soul rises like bad bile and undigested food.
“But they hurt my feelings! They deserve to be corrected!” we say, And we launch into some campaign to recover some honor or position we never really had in the first place; further driven by our fears that the person who spoke – might actually be right.
However, what we do is silly. And we know it. For when we launch into some sort of judge-and-attack mode, it is a bit like going into a restaurant and ordering a meal. However, in having the meal served to us, we don’t like the taste. And instead of working with the server to find a better selection, we pick up the entree and throw it back at his head.
Crazy. What to do? We beloved, are to simply live as the person we really are.
Can we see it? We are Love-slaves of Jesus, and stewards of the unfathomable mysteries of His Grace. Slaves and stewards do not judge. Not ever. And while slaves and stewards of a throne may act in authority, they are ever-subordinated to the direction and judgments of the One who rightly sits on the Dias in power and authority.
And so, when conflict comes (and it will), we need to have already decided to believe the truth which is now true in our lives. Our lives are not our own. They have been bought – as a bride at a price – by One who judged us worth the very blood of His own Son for the dowry. We are now so identified with the true Judge in this transaction, that to usurp the rights of our Groom is actually an act of spiritual adultery.
Now, of one other thing we can be sure. This One who Loves us so deeply will indeed defend us. He will not allow any unnecessary hurt or wounding to happen to his beloved. This is simply true. And if we understand this truth, it frees us even more to live as we truly are. We are Loved with an everlasting and infinitely powerful Love, which frees us – even further – to simply and profoundly Love everyone around us, even if they hate us and want to hurt us.
What if we simply accepted the truth? What if we left all the judgement to G_d, and just lived in Love with Him – and then let that same Love pour out on those around us?
Let Him beloved. Let Him be who He is, that you might become fully who you are already.
