I was having something of a counseling session with a
colleague of mine. And in that conversation, my college told me that I needed
to remove from my wall a plague framing an article that was written about me by the Atlanta
Journal Constitution. She said that however impressive it was, the
accomplishment was in the past, it is said and done, and that plaque is
intimidating to the members of my household. Even she was intimidated by it when
she came to my home. She proceeded to tell me that this was a message from the
LORD.
This plaque has been on my wall in the same place for as long as I have lived in this house. It is not an article about any of my athletic achievements but my encounter with a past illness (You can read the article here). Truth be told, the plaque was not even awarded to me – it was sent to me by a company whose business is to frame articles, I suppose. The company mailed the frame to me and then gave me the option of returning or paying for it (very smart business strategy). After the decision deadline past, it was easier to keep it, so I did. It was my story anyway.
This plaque has been on my wall in the same place for as long as I have lived in this house. It is not an article about any of my athletic achievements but my encounter with a past illness (You can read the article here). Truth be told, the plaque was not even awarded to me – it was sent to me by a company whose business is to frame articles, I suppose. The company mailed the frame to me and then gave me the option of returning or paying for it (very smart business strategy). After the decision deadline past, it was easier to keep it, so I did. It was my story anyway.
I followed through with the suggestion and removed the
frame, but annoyance gently developed as the conversation replayed in my mind. Was
this my issue, or the issue of those around me? My colleague’s statement
brought to mind three things. First, why would God tell her this and not
mention it to me at all? When last I checked, God and I were on pretty good
terms. Second, do I have some responsibility to cover my accomplishments no
matter how long ago they were? And lastly, I have to be careful whom I allow to
speak into my life. I’m going to take this very small personal incident and have
a bit of an allergic reaction to it. I’m going to stretch my response to the
comment in order to make my points, because there are some things that we do as
Christians that if not done with care can yield harmful results. And then we
say that we did it in the name of Jesus.
The retched side of me wants to eisegesis the life out of 1
John 4:1-6 to make it apply to my point here. But, I would like to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy
2:15). So I will leave that verse alone. But, I will use Ephesians 2:18 {As a matter of fact, I encourage everyone
to read all of Ephesians 2 especially from verse 11 to the end; it’s beautiful
affirmation of who we are and what we have in Christ}. Here is my
point: if I know God and am in the process of knowing God – by that I mean I
pray and read my bible on my own time, would God not communicate to me any
message He desires? Do I not have access to the Father by His Holy Spirit
because of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:18)? Why would He feel the
need then to send a messenger with a word for me that does not confirm anything
that He has already given me? I am not saying that God does not use others to
speak to us. But, I am saying that if God has a message for me, even if He
relates it to me through someone else, that message should ring true to me. It
should connect with me in some way or confirm something that I already know and
feel to be true (whether I like it or not)?
The framed article in this instance was hanging in my house as
decoration and to highlight the Spoiled By God products that were placed beneath
it. Never once have I felt that it could be a bother to anyone else. Even after
the conversation with my colleague, I didn’t feel as though she could be right.
But, you know… since it was a message from God, I had to oblige. I think that
there is great pride in being able to say that God is speaking through you to
someone else. I think that it is more meaningful when the other person
acknowledges that God is speaking to him or her through you. If you’re not
saying, “Jesus is Lord”, you may want to be careful telling someone else that
you are God’s messenger for their life as if their line of communication to God
is broken. Just say, “Hey, this is what I think/feel. How do you feel about
that?” before we go tagging God’s name on our opinions.
All of the award I have earned over the years (both athletic
and academic) are locked away somewhere in my parent’s storage. My college degree is still rolled up and my
daughter tries to use it as poster board when she gets her little hands on in. Truthfully,
I just do not have the space in my humble dwelling to have much of anything on
display. Now I have to ask. If I had Grammies, and Oscars and Pulitzer prizes
lying around my house, would I need to remove those too? What about high-level
degree holders and presidential honoree? Do they not display their awards
proudly around their home and office? Is there a need for them to hide away the
evidence of their hard work for the sake of those around them? Because, you know, that was in the past and
this is a new day. That doesn’t make any sense to me. Awards are made to be
displayed. I am reminded of my first time ever achieving straight A’s a high school student. I had been
striving for years to accomplish that feat. When I got home, I hurried up the stairs
to share it with my mother and we celebrated in high-screeched whispers so that
my sister (who really wasn’t interested in school) did not have to feel badly
knowing how excited my mother and I were about my accomplishment. It was quite
annoying really, and minimizing. You work so hard to earn something and you
cannot be openly proud about it. It’s almost counterproductive. Proverbs 13:12 says,
“hope deferred makes
the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life”. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from
those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” Romans 13:7 says give to everyone
what you owe them: taxes, revenue, respect, honor.
I think so often we wanted to wallow in
our friend’s suffering because somehow it helps us feel better about our own.
But we need to celebrate our friends’ success too – no matter how often they
succeed (Oh YAY another award). Sometimes,
people need to express the good things that are happening in their lives as
well as the bad. Now I am not saying that awardees need to run around bragging
about their accomplishments, name-dropping and all of that. But as such, you do
not need to be ashamed of your accomplishments or to display your honors – if
you feel like it. And people who come around award recipients who have done
good things, rather than feeling intimidated, should be able to stand with them
confidently even if the award was achieved ages ago.
Lastly, we must be careful whom we allow to speak into our
lives. People do not always have malicious intentions when they are giving
advice. I certainly do not believe that my colleague intended to do anything
other than help. However, sometimes people don’t know what in the world they
are talking about. My pastor, David Cooper at Mount Paran Church God, gave a
message entitles, “The Pursuit of Happiness” (Click HERE to see message). In it, he talks about the choices that
we can make that affect our happiness based on Psalm 1. The
first choice in this passage that he pointed out was who we allow to influence
us. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked”
Everyone is not out to do you harm. There are times when friends will tell you the
truth (hopefully in love –Ephesians
4:18) and it will sting a little. That’s okay, because “wounds
from a friend can be trusted”
(Proverbs 27:6). But, as I mentioned before, that thing should ring true to you
too.
I am constantly reminded of the story
in 1 Kings 13 verses 11 to 24. In sum, there was a man of God (we’ll name him
MOG) who received specific instructions from God. An older prophet approached
him, and the prophet invited MOG to his home. By agreeing to go to the
prophet’s house, MOG would be disobeying a direct order from God. MOG tells the
prophet, hey I can go with you,
God said so. The prophet tells MOG, well an angel told me that you should come have dinner at my
house. This will all make more sense when you read it for
yourself. Anyway, MOG decided to listen to what the prophet said and go back to
his house instead of leaving that town as God told him to. MOG was punished
severely for disobeying his direct orders even though he was supposedly following
what God said just through someone else. (You have to read the story
yourself to get the ending – it's pretty wild). But presently speaking, we have
to pay attention. I am convinced that if you are spending time with God and
He has something to tell you, He will let you know it and will use others to
confirm it.
As I mentioned earlier, I took down my article and tucked it
away in our storage closet behind the couch. Would you know, my husband just so
happened to go into that closet the same day, took the article back out and set
it on the couch. He asked me what happened to it – if I put it in the closet
because it fell. I don’t know. Do you think God was trying to speak to me then?
Do your best to present yourself to God
as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
For through him we both have access to
the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans
12:15)
Do not withhold good from those to whom
it is due, when it is in your power to act. (Proverbs 3:27)
Give to everyone what you owe them: If
you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect;
if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7)
“Blessed is the man who walks
not in the counsel of the wicked, nor
stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of
mockers; but his delight is in the law of
the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its
fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he
does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-3 ESV)
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will
grow to become in every respect
the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6)
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