I'd like to take a bit of today's post and discuss a fun little Bible story. If you turn to Acts, you'll learn of Paul (formerly Saul) and his missionary journeys. The other day I was reading of his first imprisonment. He was beaten and thrown in jail without fair trial. Nobody thought anything of it. Well, maybe God did.
In the middle of the night, the walls shook, the gates flew open, and the chains fell off of the men in prison. The guard awoke and realized he was in big trouble. He took his sword, ready to take his life rather than take the punishment, when Paul called out to let him know they hadn't left. Well, the guard was grateful. He cleaned up their wounds and gave them some food. He cared for them. That's when Paul shows the ace up his sleeve. He tells him that he's a Roman citizen and that nothing in how the situation was handled was legal. Basically, "I got your boss's number." Word reaches the officials that put Paul and Silas in jail that they wrongfully placed a Roman citizen in prison without a trial. So he does what most would do. He tells the guard, "Hey, they can go." The guard tells Paul and Silas, "Yo, you're free to go." Now most of us would say, "Praise the Lord. Let's get out of here. I'm so mad I could spit nails. I told you he was wrong." And we would walk away. Not what Paul does here. He says, "They wrongfully imprisoned us, they can let us out." Heck yeah! That was exactly the story I have needed these days. Throughout my life, I have been taught to take responsibility for other people. It's insane. Recently, I had decided that if I had not done anything wrong, I should not have a price to pay. It wasn't about being insensitive to people or their feelings, but to simply admit that they are not my feelings to own! I was beyond relieved. I felt the weight lifted. I don't have to take responsibility for other people's actions or emotions. That is not my job. If they want that handled, they have to own it themselves. And right as I was starting to think that maybe I was wrong, I read that story in Acts. I could hear God saying, "You can't own anyone else's thoughts, emotions, or actions. Just do what is right in my eyes." Ah! There it is! At the end of the day I don't answer to my neighbors, family, or any other acquaintance. I answer to Jesus. Did I do something that God wanted me to do? Was someone else bothered by it? Not my job. As long as what I do is right, I can't get worked up that someone doesn't like me or what I said or did. That's a heart issue between them and God. I will say, it sounds insensitive. But we have to let people own their own judgements. I hope you'll ponder over this as well. It happens to many of us in a variety of ways. Where are you trying to own other people's actions or emotions? How can we let go of them?
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May 2023
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