Embrace Your Foes

"Your enemies will reveal your weaknesses for you." This was a line from a teaching I had on tape by Rabbi Ralph Messer. He taught to listen to those who oppose you for they will teach you what you need to know about yourself. All I can say is, Amen.

Recently I went through a very difficult challenge. I took the challenge on the chin refusing to pull anyone down with me. I have a very hard time with the victim mentality and used everything I had to avoid pointing fingers. It wasn't easy. After much prayer I have found that I may grow from the experience. I say may because it depends on me actually doing something with what I've learned.

One of the biggest struggles I have had to wrangle with is animosity towards individuals whose finger prints are all over the knives that were planted in my back. I am coming to terms with the belief that those foes are simply misled. I also have to come to terms with the fact that there are knives out there with my fingerprints all over them. Those incidents may have been in the past and I didn't see them for being subversive at the time but now I do. If I'm really honest I may see some recent incidents that may be covered with a sense of duty. Maybe there was another way.

I also see that I was judging the current slate of would be assassins before they enacted their deeds. Maybe if I would have washed the blood off my hands I would have viewed them differently. Maybe I would have looked at them with the love that Jesus has for them. I didn't though.

Now I am able to examine my ways and change course when self righteousness starts to creep in. I understand that I have to look through Jesus at every situation I encounter. What would Jesus do indeed. More like what would Jesus have me do to live in obedience to His Word.

At the end of the day the biggest foe I have stares at me every morning when I'm shaving. It would be best to embrace him. I have learned to forgive him, now it's time to start living out the wisdom that has been bestowed.