Have you ever been listening to your favorite song on the radio, and suddenly begin to lose reception? You love the song, and keep trying to listen to it, but it eventually gets drowned out by the static. Spiritually, I think Christians are the listener, God is the song we love to hear, and the world is the static.

The other night, I was reading about the satanic statue that a group out of New York want to erect at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Of course, being in the Bible Belt, this is a hot topic. As Christians, we view this as yet another attack on our faith. We recognize that there is a full scale attack on Jesus Christ and Christians in our society. I have believed for years that our apathy has allowed these things to happen.  As Christians we must be more vocal in government, and our schools, and our jobs. We must work hard to change laws, and views and differing opinions of a lost world.

Or should we? Is that the example Christ or His apostles set for us? Did He say go into all the world and change laws, and governments and opinions?

Righteous indignation is a word I like.  I am justified when I feel angry at things that are unfair, especially as it pertains to Christians. I feel righteous indignation because I am not allowed to pray aloud in Jesus name at a football game, or at a high school graduation ceremony. I feel it when I hear that a public school teacher is not permitted to wear a Christian symbol that represents her faith on a neck chain, or when someone questions the belief of a Christian, and then publicly attacks them for their beliefs.  But, is it really our job to change these things?

I knew a young Christian girl that decided to have an abortion after being given a date rape drug and finding out she was pregnant 5-6 weeks later. She didn’t even remember what happened that night, and the thought of giving birth to a child that came from such a terrible situation, was too much for her. She decided to have an abortion, and her mother went with her to the abortion clinic. Her mother later told me about the “Christians” they encountered. They were beating on the car windows, screaming at them. She told me at that moment she was never so ashamed to be a Christian. Her story was heartbreaking to me. I tried to imagine how Jesus would act if he were to come upon an abortion clinic. Would He hold up a hate sign? Would He beat on the car hood and the windows? Or maybe, just maybe, would He, too, be ashamed? Would He think to himself, “these are MY followers?” This young girl did not actually go through with the abortion. She is now the mother of a very beautiful 4 year old daughter. I wondered after I heard this story… What if Christians stood outside the clinic and quietly prayed for those young women going inside? What if they held up a sign that said, “Whether you have an abortion or not, Jesus still loves you”. What if they offered a place to pray with those that were struggling with their decisions”? 

We must look different from the world. Jesus said that this world hated Him, and it will hate us too. But if the world hates us because we say we are Christians, but look just like the world we condemn, how effective can we possibly be?

The government that will finally have Godly morals, and righteous laws and truly Godly leaders will be when the King of Kings returns and sets up His Kingdom. Until then, let us be about the Masters business. Lord, help us to keep the main thing, the main thing. Preaching the Gospel. Being the light. Bearing much fruit. Help us to keep the song tuned in, and not be sidetracked by the static.

As I was washing dishes this morning, I was thinking about a recent conversation I had with a lady that I know. I had mentioned how much my church meant to me, and she suddenly turned very angry and informed me that she would never darken the door of “that” church after what “that” Pastor said to her son. Well if you know our church, and our pastor, you would have been just as stunned as I was. She got angrier as she talked about it, and I was speechless.  The saddest part of this story is that what she was angry about was completely untrue.  The information she had been given was inaccurate and incomplete.  And I also knew in that moment, that even though I desperately wanted to defend the truth, and my pastor, that my words would have fallen on deaf ears. Her source was the “victim” and she would believe him over me.
I have thought about the conversation several times and wondered if I should have responded differently.  My pride wanted to defend the truth. To right all the wrong information that she was spewing.  I wanted to go to her son, and call him on it. “How dare you tell lies like that!?!”

But instead I remained quiet. Several verses come to mind right here. All 4 Gospel accounts show that Jesus remained silent before false accusations. Proverbs 17:28 says, Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

My thoughts this morning were, how sad. She is carrying around bitterness that doesn’t even belong to her. She is probably sharing that bitterness with others. And on top of it, it is based on false information. We have so many things that can make us bitter, but how many of them even belong to us? It is hard enough to move on when someone does something to us personally, and we have to deal with the anger, and forgive them. Those feelings are ours. They belong to us. But what about all the anger that we carry around that doesn’t even belong to us? The Bible says that we are to bear one anothers burdens, but it doesn’t say anything about bearing one anothers bitterness. What I am talking about is the [righteous indignation?] that we feel when we find out someone we love has been wronged. Or when we witness an injustice that literally eats us up.  I am not saying that we shouldn’t feel empathy for someone that has experienced a slight or when someone is treated unfairly. Empathy  is a wonderful human emotion.  There is nothing wrong with validating the fact that someone feels hurt or angry.

What I am talking about is something that I personally can be very guilty of. When a friend confides in me that she is having problems with a boss, her spouse,  a friend, etc., I have been guilty of picking that anger up, and doing my best to help her carry it. “He said what???” What a jerk!! And if that same person continues to share their problems with me about a specific person, eventually I can begin to despise someone that has never done anything to me personally…. ever.

Years ago, I realized that is exactly what I had allowed to happen with someone that had never wronged me in any way. After coming to that realization, I asked this person if she knew why I disliked her spouse so much. I explained that, although he had never done anything to me personally, I disliked him intensely because of things she had told me.  I then asked her why she would want me to hate someone that she says she loves.   As soon as I personally realized why I was feeling like that, I was able to immediately lay my anger down toward the “mean spouse”, and try to look at the person with more objectivity.  And she quit telling me all the things he was doing “to” her.  I can happily report that my personal feelings for that “mean spouse”  has changed significantly.

I mentioned in a previous blog…that if I were to hear the other side of the story, there is a good chance I might actually agree with them as well.  But when I listen to one side of the story and agree with that side, I have made myself judge and jury. They are guilty, and the offended person is faultless.   When we  grab a corner of their great big box of bitterness, and help them carry it, we completely validate them as the victim. The funny thing about human nature is that we usually retell a story (especially conflict) in a way that casts our point of view and our reaction in the situation in the best possible light; “They were awful….ALL I did was ____________!  (insert innocent remark here).

I am learning, as I get older, to always try to play the devils advocate.  Stay unbiased. Try to remain impartial and look at both sides of a situation. And pray.  Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. There is nothing I desire more than to be called a son (or daughter) of God!

I don’t want to carry bitterness around, especially if it doesn’t even belong to me.  It is an emotion that nobody wears well.  The only person that wants to hang around a bitter person is usually another bitter person. And when a bitter person can suck you into the black hole of their bitterness, they feel better, at least for the moment. But bitterness is like toxic waste. It is harmful to all living creatures that it comes into contact with. It spreads easily and it contaminates everything.

If you are carrying bitterness around… put it down. It belongs to the “accuser of the brethren” and has no place in the heart of the “Christ follower”.

As I was reading the 4th Chapter of John tonight, verse 42 jumped out at me.  ⁴² They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Jesus had encountered the Samaritan woman at the well.  Or more specifically, the Samaritan woman had encountered Jesus.  Jews and Samaritans… think of the relationship of black and white Americans in 1950’s Mississippi.  The racial divide was great.  Yet, as she comes to the well to get water, this young Jewish rabbi asks her for a drink.  She is shocked. YOU would ask me for a drink of water?   Yet, just a few verses later, she KNOWS whom she has encountered. The messiah…The Christ. And this encounter was so profound that she goes and tells everyone she knows, and her testimony is so compelling, that they all believe before they have even heard Him or met Him personally.  In verse 42, they said to the woman, It is no longer because of what you said that we believe.

Our testimony to the world should be powerful and effective.  When we have had an encounter with The Christ, people will know something has happened.  A Samaritan woman, married 5 times, shacked up with prospect #6, encounters a Jewish rabbi and she is changed. She has encountered her savior. No one doubts her story based on her life, her past, or her current situation. That kind of encounter gets peoples attention.

But….. and its a big BUT….. it’s not enough.  Our job is to show the lost our hope. Our life should be a compelling witness of our encounter. But after that our job is to point them to Him personally.  When we hear an amazing story, we are amazed. But as hearers only, we soon forget the amazing story, and go on with our own lives. But for the person that was involved in the actual story, they are changed by it. They do NOT soon forget it. If that Samaritan woman had only told them about her encounter, in a day or two, it would have been forgotten.  But she doesn’t stop there.  Come see this man that told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? She got them to the master. She pointed them to Him. And after encountering Him for themselves,  we hear their response.  The ultimate response, “we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world”.  

Allow me to share something amazing with you…. I was one screwed up girl! Truly. If you dig you could find out stories about me that would cause me to cringe in shame.  But one day I heard about this Jesus. If you knew me right after I heard about Him and was told amazing stories about Him, you would have seen an excitement in me that would have been contagious. Would that be enough to really help you believe?  If you knew me back then, it actually may have been enough, for a little while anyway. But what really changed me was when I truly heard for myself. When I started to read His word.  As I began to truly KNOW Him… that was what changed me.  Possibly my encounter with Christ could impact your life.  That would be amazing. But the real change is when YOU get to know Him. One hour on Sunday and maybe a Wednesday night service will never be enough for you to Know Him. Let me encourage you to make the move to really know Him. To find out for yourselves that He is the Savior. Gods’ word is not a boring book of genealogy and thee, thou, and thy. Find an online translation that you can understand and dive in. It is good stuff.  I promise. The stories are amazing, and it is filled with jacked up people just like me… and you. And grace. A love story like no other. A book of judgement and redemption. And from Genesis to the Revelation, it is simply God’s all consuming desire, at all costs, to have a relationship with us.

I have always felt that sometimes when we are cranky, or going through PMS or MentaLpause, or whatever overwhelming aspect of life we may be experiencing, that it can propel us to deal with things that have needed to be dealt with, or things that we often let go so that we don’t stir up the waters.  As a parent, it happened often.  I would let something go, and then when the stars were all aligned (or out of alignment perhaps), and my hormones were raging, I would finally deal with it.  Two things would usually result.  1. Often it fixed the situation, but 2. it was usually accompanied by a guilt in the way that I did it.

I recently dealt with an issue with someone that I love very much and have a great deal of respect for. I have had several life things going on, and was feeling very overwhelmed, and felt that this person was completely disregarding how I felt. Even when I attempted to explain, it felt as though it fell on deaf ears.  The longer the situation went on, the more aggravated I got, until I finally “flipped”.  I was done. It was over. I had had ENOUGH!

Now let me be completely honest here…the Bible says to be angry, and sin not.  It also says not to let the sun go down on your anger.  I do not really think I sinned in my anger, (no one was cussed, and there was no verbal abuse, or name calling, etc), but I definitely let the sun go down on my anger. As a matter of fact I let the sun go down several times on my anger.  I was really trying to do the right thing in the situation, but I couldn’t figure out what the right thing was.  I prayed and read God’s word, and googled forgiveness, and hurt, and some other things. In my heart, I KNEW what I should do, but apologizing felt so wrong to me (and my flesh said DON’T YOU DARE APOLOGIZE), because I genuinely felt like I had been mistreated and disregarded, (Oh, it’s just Marcie…she will get over it).

As I searched the scripture, one verse came up 2x and jumped out at me both times…Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled;

Ok… well verse 14 is just hard core… follow after peace or you won’t see the Lord, and then verse in verse 15, That the root of bitterness that springs up in me can defile many…(I certainly don’t want to defile any…. much less many!)

So I had that verse, and I knew what to do, but still hadn’t fully reached the point where I could say I was wrong.  I kept praying because I wanted to give a heartfelt apology, without any buts…. “I was wrong….BUT….”  Because those are backhanded apologies that basically say, if you hadn’t done what you did, then I would have acted differently.

So just like God does, when I shut up long enough to listen, He spoke to me while I was driving to Lawton to do some after Christmas shopping.  I was talking to Him, like I often do (as if He was riding shotgun with me), and explained my situation and how I was wronged, and asked how I was supposed to apologize without justifying my anger (or my righteous indignation). His words to me were clear and I “got it”.  This is what He said to me….

“Marcie, (Yes, He said Marcie…. because He knows my name and He knows me intimately).
When you come to me and you ask forgiveness, I freely give it to you.  I (God) did absolutely nothing wrong.  In the situation, all the wrong doing and feeling was on your part.
BUT… when you have a problem with someone, regardless of whether you feel that they are the person that was chiefly responsible for the situation, you (God speaking to me) absolutely did have a part in what went wrong.
You want me to forgive you freely, when I am totally innocent in the situation, but you don’t want to offer that same free forgiveness, when your actions DID play a part in the situation.” Wow! What could I even say to that?

My part was the root of bitterness.  I not only allowed it to spring up… but I nurtured it daily with my thoughts, and fed it a steady diet of my indignation, and cultivated it with anger.
This is what you may not know about me…. I am not smart enough to come to that conclusion. Any intelligence I have is in the form of Godly wisdom. Something I have always desired of the Lord, and something He has always shared with me.  That’s not boasting….that is fact.  I am an idiot.  When I run things myself, I usually make a mess of it. My knowledge truly does end up being foolishness when the light of Gods wisdom shines on it.

So, in this situation, I was actually able to go to this person, and truly apologize.  By letting the sun go down on my anger for several nights, it just kept me torn up inside.  And to top it all off, God would not let me tell anyone. I wanted to….reallllllly bad…. but I knew that if I talked about it, I would feed the nasty little monster of anger.  Because in the light of my account of the events, it would truly shed an unfavorable light on this person, and I can say almost assuredly that I could have reveled in their agreement with me on how wronged I had been.  Which leads me to another thing He recently spoke to me.  If someone agrees with me, it still doesn’t necessarily make me right.  It makes me feel better, but I can feel better and still be wrong.  The same way that when I agree with someone else, it doesn’t make them right either.  Because the right that I am agreeing with is the way that I have been presented the situation from their perspective.  I could very well agree with the other party if I heard their account of the situation.  It is all subjective, and if it involves another human being, there is a good chance that both parties played a role in the situation going awry.

God is not a respecter of any person.  If He would speak to me, then He will speak to you.  Just listen.  He may not say what you wanna hear, and it will most likely require some humility on your part, but it will be truth, and you will know it.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27