on being attacked
12/12/2004 10:20 p.m.

I have learned a lot and appreciate the opportuniy.

here's a story with a moral for T.A. on being attacked.  A man came to see me with a complaint about his treatment by another church member.  Having a great faith in the power of listening, I listened at great length, empathetically.  After a bit when I felt his emotions had calmed and he might be ready to listen in return; I tried to share something that I hoped would help him.

I shared with him that I felt he was sacrificing his spiritual authority.

Predictably he said, "HUH??!"

"Yeah", I shared again, "you are sacrificing your spiritual authority."

I believe God wants to get involved in our conflicts for our higher good.  My friend was aproaching his difficulty with another person from the approach of what he wanted, not from what God wanted.  God wants us to consider the interests of others as more important than our own.  (I don't believe this means to be a pacifist or to ignore that there are fundamentally evil people in the world to be resisted with all energy).  I am sure that when people attack me or my interests I need God's help in loving them (isn't that what I need if I am to consider their interests above my own).  When I am willing (through God's grace) to sacrifice my human interests in order to consider another's interests above my own; well friend that is a good bargain.  Because when we make it our business to put God's interests first, He makes it His business to promote ours.

If we want spiritual authority...  or to put it another way, if we want to be great in kingdom, we must be the slave of all.

It is the joy of my life to serve people in encouraging their spiritual authority; but it means I must convince them to die to self.  This approach to life is not only stupid if God will not get involved but also impossible.