Being Right
Have you ever been wrongfully accused of something? I have a friend who is currently experiencing a hard time. A time where it would be easier, and relieving, to justify himself. Do you know what I mean?
For example, a person's car gets ticketed for parking in a no-parking zone. It’s a pretty easy ticket for the police office, correct? However, the person could have been in a hurry that day and did not see the sign that said "No Parking," because it was obscured by a large tree.
A person would feel justified to argue his or her case, wouldn’t he or she? It feels good to be right, after all. However, it doesn't mean the person will win the argument just because he or she points out their perspective and the flaws in the landscaping system.
Sometimes, a good defense does nothing more than put someone on the defensive, and the ticket turns into points on a license. That isn't winning. I was given great advice recently to let the Lord be the justifier. I would add to that advice, let the Lord also be the judge. God sees the whole picture. He sees the heart. He sees the motives of the heart.
To let the Lord justify is still not an easy task when you believe you are right. The word "right" does not mean "perfect." No one does anything perfect, but it can be done right, depending on perspective. Perspective is created by the view a person has depending on which side of the street they are watching from. If arguing a point is pointless, and defending oneself puts another on the defensive, in the example of my wrongly accused friend, what on earth is he or she to do?
Hebrews 12:3 jumped off the page to me this morning while reading the Bible.
“Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison to your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
What happens in a battle? We all know relationships are both won and lost on the battlefield of life. We get weary in a battle, don't we? It is exhausting. Relationships, even the great ones, can be tiring. It is because relationships take work. There is not one relationship that will thrive if taken for granted and not tended to. It will not be a healthy, growing relationship.
We lose heart when we are weary. When we are tired and worn out, it becomes easy to quit, lose hope, despair, and think negatively. Our heads hang down, and we drag our feet instead of looking up and marching tall. Thoughts become "catastrophic." We think, “It's all over; we will never recover.”
Is this right? Has anyone been there before? The Word, that is sharper than any sword and strong enough to cut through bones and marrow, can cut right to the heart if you allow it to because of its TRUTH, says Jesus.
Jesus endured bitter hostility. He was most definitely wrongfully accused and killed, tortured, humiliated for nothing He had done. HE ENDURED IT - for the greater good - our good. He loved us so much that He tolerated the shame willingly, so He could go to the Cross to offer us a way out of our own suffering.
We are to consider that, when in our trials. Jesus also flipped some tables in His day, so there is most certainly a time for justified anger but is it right every time? What is the end goal of our need for justification? To be right? Or for the greater good to be recognized and glory given to God through it?
Meditating on Christ, therefore, comparing and considering my time of difficulty with what He endured, will help me to not become weary. Lately, I have been struggling with fatigue, so I have a unique perspective on being weary. When I am tired and battle worn, I do not get much accomplished. On those days, I am lucky if a simple task is completed. I most certainly am not thinking about other people, making a meal for another, answering the phone, or meeting a need. I tend to think of what is directly in front of my face, which normally are my eyelids on those days!
The Bible tells me I can be free of weariness in trials which is the opposite of my "tired days." I can be compassionate and empathetic to another's perspective; I can serve others; I can be available and open to do something for them. We are created to live in a community with each other, to meet each other's needs and to love each other. I cannot help others well when I am weary.
And forget helping another, if I lose heart! It would be like fighting an uphill battle against the current in 30-degree water! The point is, to pause, take a breath, and consider how Christ endured when He was right. Being "right" didn't matter as much as the Kingdom cause did. At His death, even the soldiers knew He was the Son of the God by how He chose to die.
How do I live? Do I choose to die to self daily and take up my own cross so others will see Christ in me? It isn't easy, but there is no greater good than that. And it is WAY better than being weary!
By Amy Kay Barber, an RN and NBC student
Published: 03/25/2019
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