Strength in Adversity

Looking unto Jesus, author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself,  lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.  You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
Hebrews 12: 1-4 NKJV

I would bet that there's alot in our lives that makes us worry.  From money and schedules to relationships, we carry alot of worries with us during our daily lives.  It often amazes me how much emphasis we put on our interactions with people we don't seem to like at all.  Believe me, I've known many a person who I would have loved to see justice come to in some form or another.  What's even more amazing, is that I've never once looked at my own behavior through the eyes of someone I have disagreed with.  What would I find if I did?  What type of person would be staring back at me?  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't recognize myself, and that's sad.  We've all said and done some hurtful things when we're engaging other people.  The old saying hurting people say hurtful things is often true.  In the heat of the moment, all that we've read  in the bible about how to treat others can go straight out the window!
I remember a few interactions I had with a co worker a few years back.  This man, who claimed to be a christian, was fond of  belittling those around him on a regular basis.  There was more than one occasion where I was involved in a argument with this individual who I was sure that God had directed into my life just to torment me.  It turns out that I was right, God had directed him in my direction, but not for the reasons I thought.  Seems this man was dealing with a crisis in his family, and part of his way of coping was to lash out at those around him.  He knew that I was a christian, I'd made no secret of this at work.  It took some time, but we ended up burying our differences, but not before we had more than a few conversations about why God allows difficult situations into our lives.  I'm not a counselor or a pastor, but  one thing that he may have been looking for above all is just someone to listen.  Not the sort of interaction I'd been expecting from him at all.  I had been praying for Gods justice on this person, what I got in return was God showing me someone who was hurting.
In Hebrews 12:1 we get a unique glimpse into Jesus' death on the cross at the hands of sinful men.  If we've ever been discouraged and thought that God has allowed others to mistreat us, we only need to look to Jesus to put this entire thing we call life in perspective.  As Jesus was led to the cross, he endured some of the most heineous torture that men could visit on one person.  In the end, Jesus bled, and died, for you and me!  How many of us can claim to have endured the same mistreatment and punishment from others as Jesus has?  Whatever struggles that we have faced, we haven't suffered as Jesus has.  We do well to remember that the person we may be struggling with may also be that person that God wants us to interact with on a personal level.

~Scott~