We’re heading into the season that celebrates the gift of God’s love to the human race. It was around 2,000 years ago, that the Son of God stepped out of eternity and came to the earth in the helpless body of an infant.
The story of God’s love continued and ultimately provided us with the willing sacrifice that Jesus made by giving up his life to pay for the sins of all of mankind.
The sad thing that I have seen, throughout my life, is that during the weeks leading up to the celebration of Jesus’ birth, people show less love, less patience and are sometimes downright evil to one another.
So many bad things happen during this time of year. One might think that bad things only happen to those who don’t know Christ or who are mired in sin but that is not true. Bad things happen to and are caused to happen by those who would be considered good people and those who have accepted Jesus as their savior.
I’ve had the experience of people being so mean and awful to me at this time of year that it was hard to keep my spirits up. I remember being accosted in a grocery store and threatened with losing my life because I dared to keep my place in line to buy dinner for my family.
It didn’t matter to the individual that I had been waiting patiently for close to an hour and she had just arrived. What mattered was that I was in her way and she was going to do whatever she wanted to get in front of me.
Well, that didn’t happen. I have been abused for too much of my life to let it continue. I stood my ground and, eventually, the manager of the grocery store had to call the police to get the young woman removed before she made good on her promises. I had to have a security guard walk me to my car so that she would not follow me.
More recently, an individual who had been making demeaning and hurtful comments to and about me under the guise of being humorous, come right out and told me in front of others that I was the source of her problems and anxiety.
It wasn’t true, of course, I only see this person once a week for about one and a half hours. In fact, I had not seen her for about a month when she decided to hold me responsible for her troubles.
I could have responded back but I didn’t, I decided that rather than step down to that level, it would be better to leave my Christian small group than to become her stumbling block in her walk of faith.
It won’t change her life. She has multiple physical, emotional and personal issues in her life but somehow, she has focused on me.
I know why. Once again, I took the point of standing my ground. You see, she’s a more than a bit of a bully and when our group started, as most bullies do, she looked for the weakest individual to pick on. She choose me. Maybe because of my illness or my age, I’m not sure why. Maybe because I had talked about the awful things that had happened to me in my childhood and I appeared to be a good target.
I have been abused by others in my life but decades ago, I learned that allowing yourself to be abused is not what God expects. He tells us that we will be abused for his sake and to accept that it will happen. But when someone is simply mean and abusive because that is who they are, we are not expected to allow them to continue to abuse us over and over again.
So, I started answering her back and calling her out when she would make untrue and mean comments about me. I don’t know if she had ever had that experience before and it made her unhappy. On the other hand, it also made me unhappy. I’m not the type of person who wants to inflict pain on others.
That is why I choose to leave. My husband is also happy with the decision. We are still very happy with our church but the thought of being in a small group again is not something we will rush into.
By the measure of the horrible things that will occur during the next month, my recent experience is pretty low. I know that and I am thankful that God is taking such good care of me. I have health issues and I am in chronic pain but when I measure that against the good that God has given me and what he has in store for me, the problems of life are a mere breath, a simple vapor, in the timeline of eternity.
I am hoping that the coming weeks, months and years will bring a better promise and that none of us with suffer. However, if we do, know that God is in control and he has a purpose and a plan for everything in our lives.
He takes good care of his children. Sometimes, though, bad things happen to those who love God. It isn’t because God doesn’t love us, it is because we live in a fallen world.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.