Time to come clean, I have, for the past month or so, been dealing with numerous attacks and it has been tough to hold it together at times. It takes everything I have not to lash out at friends and family but there are moments when I feel I am not coping well. It is almost like trying to climb up a sand dune, no matter how much you try to crawl out of the valley, it seems like you are moving in the wrong direction. Over the past three months, I have put my faith in the word of others and have come to find out they are paying lip service to their “customer service”. Here is an example; “we are going to escalate your request up to my supervisor”. Translation, I am going to tell you what you want to hear just so I can end this call and get you off the phone. How about this one; “we are so sorry for all of this, I have forwarded your letter to the director for his consideration”. Translation, your letter is going to sit on the reservation director’s desk in the hope that you won’t remember our conversation and disappear. You may think that I am upset about this one incident but no, it has happened with three different organizations and their modus operandi is identical. It is almost like they all took a class on “Lying to Others 101”. I remember the day when your word was your bond, and you would rather walk over hot coals with bare feet than purposely slide problems under the rug and hope they go away.
So, how does this affect the average person, this onslaught of lies and deceit? It makes a person rather short with those who are closest to them because, in most cases, they will take it, but they should not have to. This line of thinking led me to focus on something else. Those who are closest to us should not have to take on the stress that we carry and yet they do because they love us. You see, the stress comes from selfish people that have taken advantage of us and will lie to shut us up or make us think there may be a chance. That is the foundation to this stress and if we truly want to move away from this stress, this cancer, we really need to consider a couple lessons from Christ’s teachings. First, consider this: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, John 13:34-35. When people purposely try to upset you, try this one on for size; “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” Matt 5:43–44.
One more thing, no matter how many times people let you down, remember that Peter really let down Jesus in the final moments before He was tortured and killed and yet He blessed Peter upon His return and said, “... Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
After Simon fell asleep, cut off ears, denied the Lord and lied about his involvement with the Lord, Jesus still loved him perfectly and forgave him. Forgive me for projecting my anger and stress into your lives as of late, please know I love you all and will try better to live the love of Christ. I think we all can learn a thing or three from His example and others will also learn this from how we react to their actions.
This Sunday, we will be focusing on forgiveness as a means to cope with the world and how this can affect the lives of those around us. Please plan to join us either in person or online at 10:30 AM this Sunday. The service will be broadcast online on our website (https://www.mainavefellowship.ca/socialplatforms ), or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessings,
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