Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen 18:25b)

In forgiving others, we do not condone the unrighteous or sinful acts of others. Instead, we allow God, as our protector and avenger, to administer perfect justice. We allow him to defend us amidst a world of wickedness and iniquity. We allow him to right our wrongs. (p. 172).

It would be hard to add anything to the lesson that Lorraine Hill has put together for today.  It is a truth that resonates with me, personally.  She reminds us that we can trust that God is El Roi, the God Who Sees, and nothing that happens to us will go unnoticed…“God sees our pains, as cruel acts are committed against us. He sees our miseries, as many of life’s events unfold. He sees our heartaches, as friends betray us. Others may never know what we suffer or endure; they may never see the pain and hardship. But our Lord, he knows, he sees, and he comforts” (p. 173).

When I was a little girl I LOVED the Disney book Cinderella (pre-VCR days!).  My poor mother had to read it to me everyday and all the while I mouthed the words along with her.  When I played in the backyard, I would sweep the patio and pretend to be the overlooked, would-be princess.  Back then, my parents were strict and I was “strong-willed”.  Not in the defiant, oppositional way, but more in the whiney way, where somehow I just never got around to doing things the way I was supposed to do…and I came after a neat, on-time, compliant older sister (with perfect handwriting!).  And so my parents did not quite know what to make of me.  My Momma was a first-born herself, who had been a high achiever in school, and who was used to working hard and accomplishing her will.  My Daddy was a Marine Corps Officer, used to strict obedience to his orders; his watch was set by the Naval Observatory Clock (super official military time).  I was what you might call a bit contrary.  I was always in trouble!  Mainly because I was a bit of a slacker, lost track of time, and had a terribly messy room.  I always tried to charm and/or whine my way out of that trouble.  It didn’t work.  Then I would pretend that I really was a princess, just misplaced at birth, and that my REAL parents would come and rescue me one day soon – and THEN they would all be sorry!  Oh, it was the 70’s girl-version of A Christmas Story (the Red Rider BB gun movie). Thus began my Cinderella complex!! 😉  Whenever I was wronged, it just validated that feeling.  When I did the wrong, I couldn’t always see my part in it.

Funny, as an adult, I turned out more like my older sister, minus the perfect handwriting, than the younger version of myself and they (my family) always wonder what in the world happened to me.  What happened to me was that I grew up!  Now no one who knows me would call me a slacker or think my house is messy (most of the time).  OK, I still struggle with being on time, but now it is because I am adding in extra tasks, not playing with my Barbies.  Now when I do wrong, I feel just awful!  The one residual, nagging problem was that when someone else wronged me, it really hurt!!  All grown up, I finally learned to play by the rules and, if someone else did not, well…it was just not fair.  Ironically, I was inundated with people in my life who didn’t play nice…and I would hear, “Well, you know so-and-so, that is just how they are.”  Oh, that burned me up!   In the story of the Prodigal Son, I sympathized with the older brother!  But God has continued to mature me as I have journeyed along with Him.  He has shown me that “not fair” is the enemy of peace and joy.  This “not fair” business is not biblical either.  And thank goodness!  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) [and] the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 6:23).  The LORD is merciful! He is kind and patient, and His love never fails.  The LORD won’t always be angry and point out our sins; He doesn’t punish us as our sins deserve (Ps 103:8-10).

So now, my last bit of growing up has been to accept that God’s mercy is not just for me!  Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘˜Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye (Matt 7:1-5).  If I am not the judge, and God is, that requires me to leave it to Him (and not to take it back).  I wondered how I could ever do this and God showed me it is a simple, yet very hard thing.  I am to be quiet.  Anyone who knows me, knows that this really is one of God’s miracles – for me to be quiet!  Here are some scriptures God gave me about this other way of dealing with conflicts:

• A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression (Prov 19:11).
• It is good to wait patiently for the LORD to save us (Lam 3:26).
• “Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray (Job 6:24).
• We urge you…to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one (1 Thes 4:10-12).
• He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not his mouth (Is 53:7).
• It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed (Deut 31:8).

We must rest in the Lord and in His ability to guard our hearts.  We must continue to trust that His plan is for our good, and leave the other people in our lives to Him – He has a plan for them too.  He put us in each other’s lives to accomplish His purpose for all of us.  As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Prov 27:17).  In submitting to God, we will submit to one another.  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph 5:21).  Bottom line: this Christian life is tougher than I ever knew…it is definitely not for wimps!

JustaGirl…just like you!