A friend of
mine who is experiencing some painful family issues has repeatedly asked
herself the “why” questions.
Why is this happening to me?
Why am I being treated like this?
Why is my loved one acting in such an
ugly manner?
She has been
blindsided by a situation and a relationship she never dreamed was possible,
rife with betrayal, deception and slander. This was once a close, bonded
relationship, one filled with unconditional love and trust.
So, the events
over the last few years were a definite shock.
“Brother will betray brother to
death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and
cause them to be put to death.”
Matthew 10:21
This wasn’t
supposed to happen.
So, why did
it?
The question
often produces, unfortunately, only unsatisfying silences, with, perhaps, some exceptions,
as found in scripture...
“But all these things will they do
unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.”
John 15:21
“And ye shall be hated of all men
for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
Matthew 10:22
“Then shall they deliver you up to be
afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my
name's sake.”
Matthew 24:9
I know, it’s
not comforting. But there appears to be a theme here.
“...for my name's sake.”
We’ve all
heard the phrase, “no good deed goes unpunished.”
This statement
is also not comforting, largely because it flies in the face of the Godly
principles we’ve staked our faith on: good triumphs over evil, we will be
blessed for our kind deeds and God is a just God.
So, how do
we reconcile this with a situation in which evil appears to be winning, wicked actions
are rewarded and God seems to be absent, incompetent or non-existent?
Once again,
we return to our theme...
“...for my name's sake.”
Living our
spiritual journey, our faith will be
tested; it’s a case of when, not if
that testing occurs.
No one is
immune. It is part of not just humanity, but the spiritual experience as well.
So, like it
or not, that means like Master, like servant...
“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above
his lord.”
Matthew 10:24
Sooner or
later, we’ll encounter hurt and betrayal. After all, Jesus had Judas.
“But Jesus said unto him, ‘Judas,
betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?’”
Luke 22:48
(Check out Luke
22:3-48 for the entire gory story).
So, what
makes you and I think we’d get out of our lives unscathed?
And then,
complicating matters further (because, hey, life is already way too simple and
easy, right?), we have to deal with our recovery issues on top of everything.
No easy
feat, especially when boundaries are often blurry, at best, not everyone we
encounter is in a healthy, love and life affirming place and, oh yeah, “hurting
people hurt people” is in full force.
Goody.
No, it’s
more like good deed rubber, meet some getting punished road.
Here’s,
therefore, where we need to get a bit mercenary about our health, well-being
and yes, recovery. We need to remember how people vary widely- and their
thoughts, motivations and issues do as well.
So, with
that reality, we have the perfect storm for betrayals and persecutions of
countless scenarios.
The players
involved may or may not be aware of that. I’ve heard it said in my own faith
walk how human beings are tools either in the hand of God (good) or in the
hands of the devil (evil). We play a role in that; and often, yes, we can be deceived
and misguided. It would be ideal and much easier if everyone always choose to
be agents for good.
But we live
in a real world with free will and matching free moral agent human beings who
make choices- and not all of them are loving, informed or harmless choices.
Still more
great news to ponder.
Yet ponder
we must.
And, as we
think about the varying, often unpleasant, circumstances we encounter, we need
to have our reality check/action plan readied concerning our response when life
presents itself.
“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above
his lord.”
Matthew 10:24
Nothing
Pollyanna about this and it certainly doesn’t make it feel any easier as we
encounter and endure hardship of being hurt and betrayed from seemingly
unlikely directions.
Scripture, again, reminds us...
“Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be
that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!”
Matthew 18:7
The definition of “woe” means:
“great sorrow or distress; things that cause sorrow or distress; troubles.”
So, yes...
Woe is betrayal.
Woe is slander.
Woe is deceit.
Woe is the unexpected, unloving behavior from our
most unexpected loved one.
Again, Jesus had woe from Judas.
And again, it comes back to our theme...
“...for my name's sake.”
Therefore, a
core element of our battle plan, in spite of painful, unfair incidents, needs
to employ Ephesians 6:7...
“With good will doing service, as to the Lord,
and not to men.”
Life is tricky, filled with unanswered
questions. One can drive himself/herself crazy trying to answer the “Judas
kiss” kind of experience we face from those “least likely” individuals.
A lot can be chalked up to “things happen.”
A lot can be chalked up to “life is unfair.”
And yes, again, there are things which fall
under the “name’s sake” classification.
“If the world hates
you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the
world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but
I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I
said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me,
they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
John 15:18-20
So, it is important to bear this in mind,
coupled with the seemingly impossible directive given to us concerning our
troubled feelings/responses...
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27
None of this invalidates our pain, our
heartbreak or our persecution.
Rather, it’s to remind us there is more going
on than just our finite experiences- and understandings of them.
“For our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory;”
2 Corinthians 4:17
There is, in fact, a Glory principle in
effect; and it doesn’t require we feel the positive feelings of that
Glory...
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while,
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
1 Peter 5:10
Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and
co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may
also share in his glory.”
Romans 8:17
So, perhaps,
instead of asking our “why questions,” we should, instead, ask such things
as...
What spiritual lesson is being taught
to me?
How can I embody the Savior’s
behaviors? (Yes, I
know, that rhymes).
What is the Glory test here?
It is
unrealistic enough to be believe we will be unchallenged and have an easy,
pain-free life experience.
Likewise, in
the faith realm, when we encounter offense and human experiences which make us
feel judged, betrayed and persecuted, it also unrealistic to blame that stuff
solely on a human being. There is also a spiritual warfare element added to the
equation...
“For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Ephesians 6:12
And yes,
that especially applies to the “Name sake” issue.
So, it would
do us all some good to bear this in mind as we deal with whatever “blindsiding”
situation we face. We are not above suffering.
But, if we
remember this “Name sake” principle, we also realize how, yes, we are also not
removed from a deeper promise.
“If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on
their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”
1 Peter 4:14
Indeed, it’s
not about being punished at all. Rather, it is about the Divine reward of
Savior resemblance.
So, let’s
choose to experience that.
Copyright © 2021 by
Sheryle Cruse
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