COMING BACK TO HAUNT ME
But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. Esther 7:6
If Haman had feared God and governed his life by God’s principles, he never would have been in this humiliating position. He would have loved his neighbor as he loved himself. He would have prayed for his enemies instead of plotting to kill them. Esther would have been his friend, not his foe. Mordecai would have been admired for his integrity instead of despised. He would have been content to serve, not be served.
Those we mistreat today might just be the ones who have the power to spare our lives tomorrow. Parents who ignore their child’s needs often find themselves abandoned to a nursing home at the end of their lives.
I recall a line from a movie where a mother in her 80’s asked her son in the heat of an argument, “Who taught you to be this cruel?”
He replied, “You did, mother. You did.” The answer shocked her and she had no comeback.
May I be kind to others today, not because my love is self-serving and because I suffer from a paranoia that tells me tomorrow I may need those very people. May the grace of Jesus spill out effortlessly onto others. May kindness mark my lifestyle simply because the Spirit is so large in me that His influence reigns. If I have to behave my way into loving others, that is certainly better than choosing to be selfish but there is a better way. When I become God- obsessed (instead of self-obsessed), then the Spirit who lives in my spirit will rule the rest of my being. I will experience the daily reality that ‘I am a channel through whom God lives’. That phrase will no longer be an abstract cliche, tossed around in conversations to make me look spiritual. In fact, I won’t even have to talk about it. I will be a living example of Romans 12:1 ~ a life that is a living sacrifice unto God.
I need your help, Lord. My love for others is so often self-serving. Remembering how you loved people shows me my own darkened heart in need of Your mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Originally published Tuesday, 07 May 2019.
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