"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk... You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:9b,11 NIV)
This morning Peter Scazzero reminded me of the reason I go to God’s Word each day. What good is my time with the Lord if it doesn’t change the trajectory of my heart? Our interpersonal relationships are the indicators of divine saturation. We can’t grow spiritually apart from our neighbors. Isolated believers are living far below God’s intent. Our ability to interact with others is the litmus test for our love.
“Our enemies are ‘saint-makers’ — the means that God uses to deeply and powerfully transform us…
not interruptions or obstacles but gifts in disguise from God.” (Peter Scazzero)
I don’t like to think of the people in my life as enemies, but occasionally they act like it. I endeavor to take the imago dei to heart and see the souls around me as exceptional expressions of the Father’s image. This thinking helps tremendously, but I still fail from time to time. There are folks who simply rub me the wrong way. (Or vice versa.) These are the individuals, that no matter how much effort I put into the relationship, they still dislike me, distrust me, and seem to look for opportunities to hurt, obstruct or dissuade me.
Today, Peter Scazzero’s words inspire me. The button pushers and feeling smashers are potential saint-makers. Souls that God has sent into my story with the hope of crafting me more into His image. Challenging relationships aren’t a punishment or curse, but a gift! God, in His love and mercy for us, has sought to bring about encounters that will grow us up as we learn to respond rightly. Isn’t that heartening? We don’t have enemies, we have opportunities. We aren’t being antagonized, but improved. We can receive these irritable interactions with the mind of Christ and conform further into His image in the midst of the struggle. How hopeful.
But how?
It seems we are circling back to beating our swords into plowshares. Over and over, we have to affirm our identity as farmers and shepherds, as stewards and nurturers, not mercenaries or brawlers. We are here: saved and being sanctified for the Kingdom purpose of growing something good. And that good begins in us. We start in the four small chambers in our own chest and then we branch out from there. We are asked to approach this fallen firmament with an agrarian mindset: we are planters not combatants.
It seems I’ve heard that the hardiest plants thrive with a little interference. Struggle-some soil, a bit of drought or pestilence makes a plant persist. Perseverance makes the stalk stronger in the long run.
Is all this reforming difficult for you? It is for me. Blame my German blood or my American mindset or my sinful nature, but it seems far easier to carry a sword than continually be on the business-end of a plow. I may need to wear overalls and straw hat to remind myself: I’m a cultivator, not an antagonist. And all these interesting folks around me are saint-makers, not aggravators.
"No, He that provides the seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." (2 Corinthians 9:10 NIV)
Of course this scripture is nestled in Jesus’ teachings on generosity, but sometimes the toughest place to be generous in our attitude toward others. God brings challenging people into our story for the sake of our spiritual growth. What if we received them as gifts instead of burdens? What if we held to our plowshares even when they pick up swords? What might we plant when they are looking to pick up a fight?
I look to the example of Jesus in the garden arrest. He healed His wounded aggressor. I wonder what He hopes to accomplish in my own altercations.
"And this is my prayer for you:that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - the the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV)
Lord, help us again. We long to beat our swords into plowshares, but we cannot do it unassisted. Please send Your spirit. Change our hearts. Transform our motives. Relight us with Kingdom purpose. Help us recognize our our enemies as saint-makers. Make us cooperative with the Kingdom agenda: growing instead of destroying. Amen.
"And let us no grow weary of doing good, for in a due season we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9 NIV)