The call to be a Christian is extremely challenging whether one
realizes it or not.
One of the chief purposes of the Christian's call is to have the ego
gradually diminished. Diminished to the extent of being cast into oblivion. The
call is to have the ego vanquished by the Spirit of God.
This call buffets one's ego. It vehemently denounces the ego's
superior attitude. This call is sworn at causing your inner person the pain
through constant shaping. Of course God uses pain to shape us but pain is also
inevitably collaterally results from it. The word buffet is an old English word which actually means to
strike again forcefully or to beat repeatedly. The purpose of the Christian
call is exactly to do just that to your ego. One of the ways God achieves this
is by commanding us to forgive. How exactly do you feel when forgiving others
especially those that have schemed against you or subtly backstabbed you? There
is a ridiculously lingering pain, is there not? The pain that is caused by a
heinous hurt or affront. This feeling of pain coerces you to cry for
vindication, justice or even a ruthless payback! Even after your magnanimous
feat of forgiving the perpetrator, the scar remains. When the false teachers
instigated the church to question the credential and the credibility of Paul's
apostleship, he was hurt beyond measure. We read about his immense suffering
just for the sake of the church and here they are questioning his motives. When
his heart was so tender and caring to the church, witnessing them doubt and
question his integrity bruised his heart. We read in 2 Corinthians 12:14 where
he likens him to a parent and the congregation to his children. But did not
Paul forgive them? Yes he did! We know that from the very next verse where he
says that he was willing to most gladly be spent for their souls. Yet one can
sense that pain of hurt in his lines. Most of the time this pain remains with
us and we ought to live with it. We struggle to forget the hurt. But it stays
on vividly. It is always there inside daunting us.
And that is part of the Christian's call.
Through such painful situation God causes you to know His purposes
which is to conform you to greater glory. When we heed to this, a profound
change happens which offers a shift in our perspective on the pain that
results.
For instance, imagine that you have been
caused pain which was not warranted. As a Christian you are not just expected
but commanded to
forgive the one who caused you this pain. Christian forgiveness is to treat the
hurter more than a comrade. Christian forgiveness is to treat as though nothing
of that sort of hurt ever transpired. Christian forgiveness is to treat as
though there never has been any fracture in the relationship. A Christian
musters all his energy to mend the broken relationship.
This is a difficult step to take. When one part of you
wants to vindicate yourself and also see the hurter pay justly for the hurt
caused, the other part persuades you to forgive like Christ. This means
that you do not embark on vindication but simply allow yourself to be trampled.
The more you forgive others, the more you feel trampled, the more you feel the
pain. You may even be taken for granted by others because they know that you
will end up forgiving. But that is what we are called to keep doing as
Christians. Keep incurring hurt and keep forgiving!
In one of my morning devotions I encountered a word
that exuded the quintessential nature of Christ's humanity. MEEKNESS!
Colossians 3:12
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy
and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and
patience,
The word simply means 'to be willing to suffer offence, affront, or
an insult'. One can instantly imagine Christ standing before a mob of ferocious
revilers. Yet there was not a trace of retaliation from His side. Not even an
attempt of vindication. But the verse (1 Peter 2:23) goes on to say 'but
continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly'. And precisely that, my
friends, is what we are called to follow. The heart of God shines in
inescapably evident ways when we forgive seventy times seven.
God has etched that adorable word MEEKNESS in my mind ever since I
encountered it in a fresh new way.
