Proof of Discipleship
Some people just rub you the wrong way. It’s like petting a cat from the tail up, rubbing his fur the wrong way. That’s how it felt when Gretchen would call. She always had a complaint. If it wasn’t the way others in the church were raising their children, it was her unsaved husband, or teenage daughter acting up again. On occasion, she would object about the new color in the Sunday school room, or criticize the poor way an activity for the young people was organized. I tried everything with Gretchen. I tried humoring her. That didn’t work. I tried giving her a little of her own medicine by complaining about her and her children. That certainly didn’t work. Then, when I thought it couldn’t get much worse, she reprimanded me in public while other saints looked on. I felt the Lord tug at my heart. “A soft answer turns away wrath,” the Savior gently reminded me. I put my arm around Gretchen and lowered my voice. I told her it was all right and that everything would work out. I got another phone call from her about 11:30 that night. She informed me that it was my fault she couldn’t get any sleep! Then she went on. She said that God had been speaking to her, telling her how unreasonable she had been and how unchristian she had been acting. When I was kind to her, she had no more ammunition. That was the closest thing to an apology I would get, but it was enough.
God commanded that we love people like Gretchen. There is nothing greater than love. It transcends the impenetrable wall of bitterness; it exposes prideful arrogance; it defuses the harmful acts of jealousy, and it warms the icy spirit of hatred. The interesting thing about love is that it is one of the attributes of God, so when we show love to others, they get to see a little of God in us. No wonder it is so powerful and no wonder He commanded us to love others.
Make this your prayer, “Lord, help me be a mirror of you. You are love, and you live in me. Help me become so transparent that others see You through me today.”
Some people just rub you the wrong way. It’s like petting a cat from the tail up, rubbing his fur the wrong way. That’s how it felt when Gretchen would call. She always had a complaint. If it wasn’t the way others in the church were raising their children, it was her unsaved husband, or teenage daughter acting up again. On occasion, she would object about the new color in the Sunday school room, or criticize the poor way an activity for the young people was organized. I tried everything with Gretchen. I tried humoring her. That didn’t work. I tried giving her a little of her own medicine by complaining about her and her children. That certainly didn’t work. Then, when I thought it couldn’t get much worse, she reprimanded me in public while other saints looked on. I felt the Lord tug at my heart. “A soft answer turns away wrath,” the Savior gently reminded me. I put my arm around Gretchen and lowered my voice. I told her it was all right and that everything would work out. I got another phone call from her about 11:30 that night. She informed me that it was my fault she couldn’t get any sleep! Then she went on. She said that God had been speaking to her, telling her how unreasonable she had been and how unchristian she had been acting. When I was kind to her, she had no more ammunition. That was the closest thing to an apology I would get, but it was enough.
God commanded that we love people like Gretchen. There is nothing greater than love. It transcends the impenetrable wall of bitterness; it exposes prideful arrogance; it defuses the harmful acts of jealousy, and it warms the icy spirit of hatred. The interesting thing about love is that it is one of the attributes of God, so when we show love to others, they get to see a little of God in us. No wonder it is so powerful and no wonder He commanded us to love others.
Make this your prayer, “Lord, help me be a mirror of you. You are love, and you live in me. Help me become so transparent that others see You through me today.”
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