You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'. But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5: 38-42 (NASB)
I want to write this down lest I forget... it had been one of the hardest seasons... career-wise. With no leads and no prospects even after a year long search, I lived downcast and with each day I was getting more discouraged.
My job search began a year earlier. I had resigned and expected to find work within the notice period (ambitious!) Since I had not found anything by my last day, my boss so kindly offered me an extension till I found a job. It all seemed so temporary and I happily worked expecting to find something soon. I did not have a job title - my replacement got my title. I did not have a desk or a clear job description either. As a result I slowly began doing odds and ends for every department. Since I didn't have anyone to report to, I became everyone's personal assistant. As you can imagine, this was getting very frustrating.
Very often, I was tempted to feel like a doormat. But God was teaching me a new lesson...
One of the heads began treating me like a handyman asking me to do a lot of silly things like run to the store for a set of batteries or cable hooks. He was getting on my nerves and I was biting my lips... trying hard not get reactionary.
One evening, I was at my desk discussing a project with one of the directors. This person came up to me and asked me to get his visitor a glass of water. I just stared at him for a few seconds thinking of the best thing I could come up with. Instead I said "Okay". Inside of me, I was just so furious. How dare he ask me to bring him water... if only he looked at my resume! The director talking to me couldn't suppress his shock either and was upset at this man's attitude. I was very quick to tell my colleague about how this has been happening all the time. To which he said, "Let me handle this". So he went to the kitchen and came out with the 2 glasses of water and took it to the boardroom. the guy's instant response was "Why did you have to bring us water!"
This was a brilliant thing to do from the world's perspective. But God was not cheering me on. Instead, His Spirit was convicting me and teaching me obedience in the things I was suffering.
I often hear people say a Christian does not have to be a doormat. It's never been clearer... what the world calls a 'doormat ', we call, 'Christlikeness'. I was happy to be a smartass but unwilling to be Christ-like. Jesus showed me not just in words but by example as well. He taught me what a laid down life looks like. Yet, I keep taking my life into my own hands. I sat in bed late that night, my Bible opened to Jeremiah 17:7-9 and I was reflecting on the day and the season in general. Matthew 5:38-42 came to my mind. It was like a message being preached to me in my head. I now knew the right thing to say the next time this happens, I am going to say,"Would you like a cup of tea as well?"
Matthew 5: 38-42 (NASB)
I want to write this down lest I forget... it had been one of the hardest seasons... career-wise. With no leads and no prospects even after a year long search, I lived downcast and with each day I was getting more discouraged.
My job search began a year earlier. I had resigned and expected to find work within the notice period (ambitious!) Since I had not found anything by my last day, my boss so kindly offered me an extension till I found a job. It all seemed so temporary and I happily worked expecting to find something soon. I did not have a job title - my replacement got my title. I did not have a desk or a clear job description either. As a result I slowly began doing odds and ends for every department. Since I didn't have anyone to report to, I became everyone's personal assistant. As you can imagine, this was getting very frustrating.
Very often, I was tempted to feel like a doormat. But God was teaching me a new lesson...
One of the heads began treating me like a handyman asking me to do a lot of silly things like run to the store for a set of batteries or cable hooks. He was getting on my nerves and I was biting my lips... trying hard not get reactionary.
One evening, I was at my desk discussing a project with one of the directors. This person came up to me and asked me to get his visitor a glass of water. I just stared at him for a few seconds thinking of the best thing I could come up with. Instead I said "Okay". Inside of me, I was just so furious. How dare he ask me to bring him water... if only he looked at my resume! The director talking to me couldn't suppress his shock either and was upset at this man's attitude. I was very quick to tell my colleague about how this has been happening all the time. To which he said, "Let me handle this". So he went to the kitchen and came out with the 2 glasses of water and took it to the boardroom. the guy's instant response was "Why did you have to bring us water!"
This was a brilliant thing to do from the world's perspective. But God was not cheering me on. Instead, His Spirit was convicting me and teaching me obedience in the things I was suffering.
I often hear people say a Christian does not have to be a doormat. It's never been clearer... what the world calls a 'doormat ', we call, 'Christlikeness'. I was happy to be a smartass but unwilling to be Christ-like. Jesus showed me not just in words but by example as well. He taught me what a laid down life looks like. Yet, I keep taking my life into my own hands. I sat in bed late that night, my Bible opened to Jeremiah 17:7-9 and I was reflecting on the day and the season in general. Matthew 5:38-42 came to my mind. It was like a message being preached to me in my head. I now knew the right thing to say the next time this happens, I am going to say,"Would you like a cup of tea as well?"
wow.love this one.difficult for us,but it was so simple for Jesus.
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