A new perspective

Last week was horrible.  One thing after piled up after another, and by the end of the week I found myself completely exhausted and emotionally spent.  The final straw was when one of my co-workers called me in the middle of the night to yell at me about something that I had no control over.  Although I certainly said words in anger while on the phone with her, my anger did not abate after we hung up.

In fact, on more than one occasion I caught myself scripting a tirade against her in my head.  I would tell her everything that I hadn't thought of while on the phone with her; every possible comment had a retort prepared, any comeback was already primed with a counter-response.  In this debate that I was creating in my head, I emerged undoubtedly the winner - victorious, purged from all my frustrations, and completely vindicated of any wrong-doing.

But while I was in the middle of one of these fantasy arguments of mine, I was suddenly struck with a thought: I wonder if Jesus ever did a similar thing to the Pharisees and numerous other people who persecuted Him?  Considering that one of His last words uttered on earth was a prayer for them, I'm inclined to think that He didn't.  If Jesus didn't accuse His persecutors, how on earth can I justify doing that to mine?  It doesn't matter if I didn't actually say those horrid things to her - the point is that I wanted to, and according to God, sin starts in the heart.

And it's no use trying to justify your anger, telling yourself that they deserve your anger.  If you are living and breathing, your injuries are nothing compared to the injuries that were inflicted on Jesus Christ.  He was beaten, abused, tortured, and eventually killed, and yet He still loved the people who killed Him.  If Jesus is supposed to be our model for living, how do we then justify to ourselves that erupting in anger against a co-worker who slights us, or a boss who overworks us, or a friend who gossips about us, or a family member who breaks our trust?  That's nothing compared to what was done to Jesus; and yet He still chose to forgive and love.

So the next time that you find yourself on the verge on the eruption, the next time you catch yourself mentally composing a verbal tirade against someone who has wronged you, take a step back and get a new perspective.  Remember what Jesus did for you.  Remember the sacrifice that He made, and that even after everything He suffered, He still chose to love.  Hopefully remembering that will make it a bit easier for you to turn the other cheek.

Isaiah 53:4-7

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, 

yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; 

and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  7 He was oppressed and afflicted,

    yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, 

 and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

By His bruises

This morning has been a fiasco, and it's not even 8 o'clock yet.  Last night my little sister couldn't sleep, and kept coming into my room asking if she could sleep with me.  Well then this morning, I wake up to her with a high fever, and my brother throwing up all over the house.  It has been a difficult day already, one that leaves me wondering how on earth I will make it until evening.

So I turned to my Bible for comfort, to the Great Physician.  He has the power to heal all of our illnesses; in fact, He's already done so.  I find it interesting that it was only after I prayed with and for my sister last night that she was finally able to go to sleep for the rest of the night.  Of course it made sense, but then it also made me wonder why I hadn't thought of it before 4:00 in the morning!

But God doesn't just heal physical diseases - He heals spiritual ones, as well.  There was a time in my life when I looked as healthy as an ox (I've never really understood that expression), but inside was a completely different story.  So today will be both a prayer and a praise for me.  I will pray for healing in the lives of my siblings - that their sickness will pass, that their strength will return, and that God will make them whole again.

But I will also praise God for how He has healed my heart and my soul.  He has given me a new lease on life.  I feel rather feline - except He's given me many more than 9 chances, and every time He does it's more wonderful than the last.  Praise God for His mercies that are made new every morning!

Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are whole.

Exodus 23:25

You shall worship the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from among you.