When We Are Unjustly Wronged

When I am unjustly wronged (especially by those I love), hurt fuels my anger. Yet it is not revenge or even justice I seek but the satisfaction of making sure those who treat me unfairly know that I am aware of their cruelty. Many times people do cruel things yet act as though nothing is wrong. It is a pattern for some.

A pattern that lights a flame of anger in my soul that burns hot - I can't sleep or reason.
Yet despite such fire, there is a gentle breeze seemingly just beyond my reach. It whispers...
"Forgiveness."

That whisper angers me even more! "But I don't deserve this treatment!" I want to yell it... I do yell it as tears fall.

"Forgiveness"...it whispers again.

"But they will get away with it!" Frustration overpowers me.

Forgiveness... it's God's answer. I hear it---I know it----I plan to ignore it!!! ....at least for awhile.

"When am I allowed a righteous anger?!" I ask, desperate to hold onto the flame. I refer to Jesus throwing over the tables in the temple. "When can I do that?!"

The sleepless nights continue. My anger spills over until it is I who am mistreating those that I love. I am doing to others that which has been done to me. I am utterly exhausted and miserable.

An angel steps in. He points past those who hurt me and into the spiritual realm. He shows me satan's minions whispering into the ears of those I love. He explains how satan is using my loved ones and distorting their thoughts and actions in order to distort mine. My angel smiles as understanding dawns in my mind. He reminds me he will always be by my side.

"Forgive them Father, they really don't know what they do."

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God tells us in His Word not to focus on this world or our vision will become distorted (II Corinthians 4:16-18). I have discovered the more I focus on the spiritual side of things (the good as well as the evil), not only will it be harder for satan to deceive me but the easier (not easy, but easier) it is to love people the way God does~and to feel sad instead of angry when people do hurtful things. (II Corinthians 2:7-8!!)

As for that righteous anger, Jesus showed none of that when He was being beaten, ridiculed or put to death. Who had a better reason for anger than an innocent man dying for the sins of everyone else? But there was no anger--instead--forgiveness. (Luke 23:34)

The anger of Jesus flared only when the people were mocking His Father's house, making a Holy Place into a den of thieves by those who were hypocritical--not to Him, but to His Father. (John 2:12-16) Therefore a righteous anger, in my humble opinion, is anger toward those who dare use God's name (and house) for their own purposes. We should feel anger when we see those using God as an excuse to kill, using God to exhort money, using God to manipulate others....

When we feel anger for how we are treated, we need to look beyond ourselves and into God's realm. When we focus on Him and what He has done and is doing for us these injustices might seem rather small.

PARABLE OF THE WEEDS / MATT. 13:24-43

Jesus told parables. Stories that would help us as humans better understand the thinking of God.

In the parable of the weeds, Jesus tells of a man who planted a crop of good seeds but while everyone was sleeping, that man's enemy came into the night and planted weeds in his crop. Once the plants started to grow the servants noticed that there were weeds in among the wheat and they questioned the owner of the field, "How did this happen?"

The owner states simply that it was the work of his enemy. The servants then ask, "Well, should we go and pull out the weeds?" The man in his infinite wisdom says, "No, you might pull up some wheat as you are pulling up the weeds." He goes on to explain that when it is time for harvest he will have his harvesters separate the weeds from the wheat. The wheat will be brought into the man's storehouses and the weeds will be burned.

Later on that day Jesus' disciples asked Him to explain what that parable meant.

Jesus explained:

The sower of good seed = Son of Man (Jesus)

The field = the world

The good seeds = sons of the Kingdom (Children of God)

The weeds = sons of the Evil one

The enemy = the devil

The harvesters = Angels

Harvest time = end of the age

At the end of the age, Jesus will send out His angels and they will weed out , not only those who do evil, but also anything that causes sin. The angels will throw these thing into a fiery furnace, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. Yet those who are righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

O.K. that was the short of it. Let's look at it a little closer:

This is what I found interesting. The servants saw the weeds. They knew that they did not belong there. They thought maybe it would be their job to pull out these weeds. Jesus (for that is who the sower is) said, "No!" He said that when the time was right He would take care of the weeds. To have His servants pull out the weeds now would mean risking the wheat also being pulled out.

What does that mean for us who serve Christ? Jesus is telling us not to pull out the weeds. Yes, we see them. Yes, we know they do not belong among the wheat. But we are not to pull them out because we, as servants, might make a mistake and accidentally pull out some wheat as well.

I am not much of a gardener, but I know that in my efforts to help my husband weed the flower garden, I have pulled out my fair share of innocent plants. Not only that but I have also mistakenly left some (pretty tall) weeds in among the flowers because, to me, they looked like a plant!

The same thing can happen in this world. We can see "weeds" in our communities and we might feel that it is our "duty" to pull them out by condemning them , or shunning them. But Jesus says not to do that. Not only did He TELL us not to do that but He also SHOWED us by eating and drinking with the sinners of His time.

Now does this mean we simply ignore those whom we call sinners? No, absolutely not! We Must Be Firm and Make it Clear That We....... love them. How many of those whom we would condemn, know our savior? Is it not our duty then to show them who He is by our love?

May I suggest that it is not our job to condemn those whom we feel may be lost.... sinners... even evil. Instead it is our job to pray for and love them. Perhaps someone might look like a weed to us yet in truth be one of God's most beautiful flowers.

Most of us can recognize sin when we are confronted with it (I know that I deal with it in my own heart and mind on a daily basis). We must HATE that sin however, we must LOVE the sinner.

As a servant of God I am relieved that it is not my responsibility to weed His garden. What freedom! How terrible if I were to pull out one of His precious plants by mistake!

There will be a time when Jesus will send out His angels and there will be a separation of weeds and flowers. That time is only known to God, and ultimately only God will know who all the weeds are and who all the flowers are.

There will be weeds who looked to us as flowers and flowers whom we thought of as weeds. So let us water both with the love of God until it is time for the harvest.