Living in a new "Always"

I know I lack a lot and I have a lot of growing to do. However it has always been sort of a gift of mine to have compassion for people, or well “always” since I’ve been born again into my new nature under Jesus. And if you want “always” to get more specific, it would be since I started my personal relationship with him the summer I turned 17. Now again, this compassion hasn’t always been a deep consistent compassion especially when I was hurting, scared, or just flat out running from God. But all that aside, it has “always” been a part of who I am now.

It is natural for me to have compassion for my friends when they hurt, it is my job to have compassion for the fatherless that our society often forgets, it is the teachings of my savior to have compassion toward my enemies, and it’s my specific calling to have compassion for the suffering of countries who yearn for the gospel. But, today our happy little friend, Facebook, that we would all be lost without, put my compassion to a test.

After church, lunch, a movie and a nap I decided to venture out to a coffee shop and borrow their internet. While I love Sugar Browns and speak highly of them frequently, today I went to the heart of Boho chic college-kid’s ville. That’s right my friends I am writing this to you at J&;B coffee house, where the coffee is cheap, the internet is free and dreadlocks run amuck. No lie, right now as I type this there is a rainbow outside the window, acoustic guitars, a Frisbee game in the parking lot, apple computers everywhere, what looks like a bicycle rally in the front, and more dreads than a Bob Marley concert. But I enjoy the atmosphere.

I found myself a little corner opened up my out of place IBM ThinkPad and went right to my fall back time killer, Facebook. When BAM! There it was, slander, hate-talk, internet bullying, ignorance, immaturity, crudeness, whatever you want to call it. It sent the blood coursing through my veins. Some random person had called someone, I love very much, a very derogative, dirty, hurtful name right there for the whole world to see.



My Mommy and Me

 Something in me snapped, I wanted very much for this person to hurt; I wanted justice for the pain they had caused my loved one. The only way I can think of to describe this is to compare myself to a lioness defending her cubs from the scrounging hyenas. So what did I do? I called my mommy. My mom is my best friend and usually helps me through these things. She is very level headed and always thinks of things objectively. But she didn’t answer, that’s her one flaw. She often forgets to turn her phone off silent after she returns from work leaving me stranded to handle my own messes like an adult.

So instead of thinking about the situation in a rational way or taking my anger and bitterness to God like I needed to, I let it sit and fester inside of me. Eventually my mom called me back and just letting the anger out helped but it didn’t make it go away.

As I sat for a while and thought about what had just happened and why I felt the way I did toward a complete stranger. It occurred to me that Hate breeds Hate. So I used the same internet that had been used as a tool to stir up this hate to open up ESV.org… My online bible. It’s not as good as the real thing but in times of need serves its purpose. I read Titus chapter 3. Titus 3:3 says 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

This is true. It was like this for me in the time before my “always” but God came and gave me a regeneration, he justified me and game me hope, read further. Titus 3:4-7 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life

And because of this new “always” in my life I shouldn’t hate this hater who hurt the one I love, but rather devote myself to goodness for the Lord because it will be more profitable for all people. Titus 3:8 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

I want to make it clear here that the following scriptures emphasize not to put an emphases on the good works because it is by God’s mercy and not the law that we are found righteous in Christ. But it was this chapter that reminded me: to hate this person not only goes against my “always” but it is not profitable for this person either. If I hate him but claim to love God am I a liar. Therefore I am sorry, Facebook person, for my anger and hatred toward you. I am not a liar and I love God therefore I must also love you….. But please stop calling people ugly names. Ok? Ok.