Showing Restraint
I am teaching my children restraint – to be patient, to seek the welfare of others before themselves, to turn the other cheek when someone offends them. It’s really quite easy. I instruct them to watch what I do, and then do the exact opposite. It’s not quite as effective as I might hope, but it will work. I have faith.
I do not, however, have the ability to show restraint. If there is something that looks good to eat, I shall eat it. If a co-worker has offended me, I shall let him or her know of the offending action, and then I return it in kind. If my boss passes me over for a project assignment, I shall aggressively whine about it.
Do any of these responses improve the situation? Of course not. Does that stop me from acting like a spoiled two-year-old? Of course not. Why? Because I’m apparently mostly human.
I have no idea who Jesus was talking to when he said in Matthew 5 to turn the other cheek, give the shirt off your back, go two miles if you’re asked to go one. It certainly wasn’t a group of humans. I don’t think we’re capable of that kind of civility, let alone patience, kindness and even (gulp) love toward people who wrong us.
It also comes down to whether or not we trust God when He said in Deuteronomy that vengeance was His, not mine to dole out.
My pastor sometimes talks about a spirit of offense. I don’t know if that’s a true spiritual being, but it certainly is a human response. I can get offended over the silliest things. Like the co-worker in another department who got credit for organizing an event that my department sponsored. Sure, she gathered volunteers, made the arrangements and even cleaned up afterwards. But I paid for it! (And even then, I didn’t pay for it; it came out of the company budget, channeled through my department). Still, she shouldn’t get credit for it!
It’s times like that that I know I need Jesus. If I am offended at trivial things, I know there is no earthly way I can repay real evil with kindness. So I keep reading, praying and testing myself to show restraint. And blindfolding my kids, so that my actions don’t prove more memorable than my words.
When have you ever exhibited a spirit of offense? How did that work for you?
I do not, however, have the ability to show restraint. If there is something that looks good to eat, I shall eat it. If a co-worker has offended me, I shall let him or her know of the offending action, and then I return it in kind. If my boss passes me over for a project assignment, I shall aggressively whine about it.
Do any of these responses improve the situation? Of course not. Does that stop me from acting like a spoiled two-year-old? Of course not. Why? Because I’m apparently mostly human.
I have no idea who Jesus was talking to when he said in Matthew 5 to turn the other cheek, give the shirt off your back, go two miles if you’re asked to go one. It certainly wasn’t a group of humans. I don’t think we’re capable of that kind of civility, let alone patience, kindness and even (gulp) love toward people who wrong us.
It also comes down to whether or not we trust God when He said in Deuteronomy that vengeance was His, not mine to dole out.
My pastor sometimes talks about a spirit of offense. I don’t know if that’s a true spiritual being, but it certainly is a human response. I can get offended over the silliest things. Like the co-worker in another department who got credit for organizing an event that my department sponsored. Sure, she gathered volunteers, made the arrangements and even cleaned up afterwards. But I paid for it! (And even then, I didn’t pay for it; it came out of the company budget, channeled through my department). Still, she shouldn’t get credit for it!
It’s times like that that I know I need Jesus. If I am offended at trivial things, I know there is no earthly way I can repay real evil with kindness. So I keep reading, praying and testing myself to show restraint. And blindfolding my kids, so that my actions don’t prove more memorable than my words.
When have you ever exhibited a spirit of offense? How did that work for you?
posted by Tom Petersen at 2:00 PM
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