Dealing With Hatred

Followers of Christ know that we are supposed to "turn the other cheek" when we are personally attacked.  However, what action should we take when a group of people are the target of hatred and persecution?  And how can we resist evil without getting caught up in a never-ending cycle of eye-for-an-eye retaliation?

The following children's story shows that there is an alternative to violence on the one hand and passivity on the other:

 

A Sacrifice of Praise

One short biblical phrase--four words in English--intrigues me.  What does the Bible mean when it talks about "a sacrifice of praise" (Hebrews 13:15)?  I think it means praising God when we don't feel like it. 

If I praise God when the sun is shining and all is right in my world, how is that a sacrifice?  However, if I praise God when life is cruel and crummy, then I maybe I am making a sacrifice.  I'm choosing to worship in faith instead of going with my natural inclination to complain.

Joni Eareckson (Tada) experienced "a sacrifice of praise" after a diving accident left her a quadriplegic.  Up until the accident, she had been an excellent athlete and very active person.  Now she stewed in bitterness because she couldn't understand why God allowed the accident to occur.  A friend read to her from I Thessalonians 5:18:  "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  He then said, "Joni, it's about time you got around to giving thanks in that wheelchair of yours."

Joni retorted, "But I don't feel thankful," to which the friend responded, "The verse doesn't say 'feel thankful.' It says 'give thanks.'  There's a big difference."

Joni gritted her teeth and with tears found things to thank God for.  And that was a turning point for her.  The practice of thanksgiving began to change her until she eventually was able to feel and express gratitude.

It is humbling for me to look at her website and to see what Joni has been able to accomplish from within the confines of her wheelchair.  She truly has learned how to make "the sacrifice of praise," and most of us could learn a lot from her.  If you're someone who struggles with chronic pain or depression, I highly recommend her resources (http://www.joniandfriends.org/blog/pain-and-depression/).

Song from the last episode of "In Plain Sight"

How do we show gratitude to God?

Mother Teresa advised:  "The best way to show our gratitude to God is to accept everything with joy.  Never let everything so fill you with sorrow that you forget the joy of Christ risen."

"Being happy in Jesus means loving as he loves, helping as he helps, giving as he gives, serving as he serves, rescuing as he rescues, being with him twenty-four hours, touching him in his distressing disguise."

Did this work?  Does it sound grim rather than joyful?  Malcolm Muggeridge didn't think so.  "Their life is rough and austere, yet I never met such delightful, happy women, or such an atmosphere of joy as they create.  Mother Teresa, as she is fond of explaining, attaches the utmost importance to this joyousness.  The poor, she says, deserve not just service and dedication, but also the joy that belongs to human love.  That is what the sisters given them abundantly."

What is your joy quotient today?