Genesis 1: 27 NKJV
I recall a story from the killing fields of the Vietnam war where a decorated army ranger once survived multiple gunshot injuries in the field only to have his career rocked by those above him for not authorizing his promotion. To him, his woulds in battle were nothing compared to the wounds to his own confidence in himself. How often have we ourselves fallen into that scenario? I know I have. All too often, those things I'm worried about pale in comparison to all that is truly important in my own life. This weeks podcast from Wayne Jacobsen seemed to touch on this issue somewhat as well. We often jokingly call it "playing the victim." We magnify our own pain while seemingly ignoring the pain of those around us. Tell me, whenever you have wallowed in this pit of self pity how often have you felt compassion for that person who wronged you? I know I haven't. That would be far too easy. See, that would take the focus off of ourselves and put it on the real reason that we are feeling sorry for ourselves....and we don't want that. No, we want others to see just how wounded we have become by those actions of others. Now, I'm not pointing fingers at anyone because I myself have been that victim all too often. However, I realized something not too long ago when I was in the midst of another of my own pity parties. What I realized was this...what makes my pain more important than that of someone else? I'll tell you why, and many well meaning christians won't like it. The reason we see our own pain as most important of all is that often we see ourselves as independent and, therefore, more important. I'm Gods child, I'm saved and therefore the other person is wrong. But wait, what if the same person who has wronged us is christian as well? No matter, I'm in charge of my own life and God si on my side!
20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2: 20 NKJV
So, I pose this question to any well meaning christians out there. If, as the apostle Paul tells us, that Christ Jesus lives through us today...are we truly as independent as we all too often think we are? Also, we must remember that our heavenly Father has breathed the breath of life into ALL mankind {Genesis 2:7}. The fact is that we all share that intimate connection with God. Yet there may be more than a few souls out there who have yet to realize this truth. That in no way diminishes their standing with God. We all share that same creation DNA with each other. So, what does all of this have to do with those wounds we feel so deeply? Well, as I think back on the times I have dealt with my own self pity, not once did I consider that of the one who wronged me. What about their wounds? A friend of mine brought up something interesting this morning as I got ready for my day. We have a friend whose own heritage comes from eastern europe and the former eastern block nations of Bosnia and croatia. Now, if you think that we have racial tensions in this country you aint seen nothing yet. Few of us recall that United States military intervention into the so called Balkan conflict back in the 1990's. This all came about as a result of the mass execution perpetrated by former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Of course, ethnic tensions had been boiling over for years, but this mass killing was the straw that broke the camels back. This immediately thrust the United States into the generations old conflict as a non neutral party. Thank you Bill Clinton. My point is this, what good is it to accept one side of a conflict and yet ignore the pain of the other? We here in the United States can testify to our own racial injustices. These are not made up stories but real pain suffered by those whom we may not know nor understand. As a african american friend once told me, we have more in common than we do differences.
7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Genesis 2: 7 NKJV
~Scott~
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