Peace on Earth, Good Will To Men!
The enemy wants to defame our character. He knows that if He can cause others to believe that we are party to division and strife, to that extent our mission, our purpose on earth, will fail, and ultimately come to nothing.
We cannot prevent others from speaking falsely about us. Although these things may hurt us deeply, we have to remember that Christ is our righteousness. Outside of Him our righteousness is as filthy rags. We have to trust Him to live out His life within us.
We live in a sinful world. To the extent to which we interact with others, we will hurt, and be hurt. Our words can heal, and our words can wound. We speak from our beliefs, and often those beliefs when voiced, create a rippling effect that can cause others to respond and in turn air their views, their opinions. Once the ripple has gone forth, it cannot be undone.
We try our best to communicate to others our views, our feelings that matter so much to us. But often the words do not come out right. The words fail us. And meaning becomes distorted. Like actors in a play, we watch helplessly as the lines of communication are crossed again and again. And we are left to wonder if we will ever be heard.
Yet God has painted in our minds, our hearts, a vision of perfection to which we have been called to attain. Failure to empathize, to understand someone’s pain often occurs because we are too busy focusing on our own. If we could but take ourselves out of the picture, we would truly be able to serve mankind. We would be less preoccupied with self preservation, and more determined to bring about love and unity in the world in which we live.
We are called, set apart. We cannot live an ordinary existence. We cannot dwell where hate, malice, bickering, backbiting, and evil surmising coexist. To whom much is given, much is expected. We must give God a daily account of our actions, and daily repent with anguish of soul and mind when we recognize how our shortcomings perpetuate evil amongst us.
Let us rise then, to the challenge. Let us answer the call. Let us turn the tide. We belong to God, so we cannot be a law unto ourselves. While here on earth, we must maintain our connection to the divine. While others speak from pain, we must speak from love. The rippling effect we do not know, but we must let
peace on earth begin with us.
Leila Rose-Gordon
2-10-12
