The Wrong Residents
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
He was only five years old or so when he laid down for his afternoon nap. All was quiet as he slept so peacefully. When he woke up, we could hear him talking in a soft voice in his room and we wondered who he was talking too. Soon we opened the bedroom door and as we greeted him we asked who he had been talking to. His answer troubled us deeply. You see, he said he was speaking with a little squirrel in his closet! Problem: It wasn’t a squirrel! We only wish it had been a squirrel. It was a rat!
Here was one of the most unwelcomed residents any person could ever want to see. Yet, he was making himself quite comfortable in the closet of our son’s bedroom. A few more incidents would lead to a move, but that’s for another time.
Like the unwelcomed rodent, when we allow the crippling and toxic emotions of anger, bitterness, the holding of a grudge(s) wrath and indignant judgments to take seed in our hearts …the harvest will be anything but good!
We’ve all been to this most unpleasant and fruit-decaying place at one time or another. We know it is not a good place to be … we know we shouldn’t go there … we know it is not Christ-like. Yet, in our mind and with a little help from our adversary, the devil, we go there anyway. Oh, we can justify and excuse ourselves with a multitude of reasons, but the fact is when it comes to the Lord and to our relationship with others, God’s people are expected to keep short accounts!
We do not live in a world that is known for its peace and tranquility. The conflicts are endless and our personal lives and relationships are not exempt. Our God who made us and who “understands our frame” knew that we could and would be sensitive people with hearts and lives that can be offended, disappointed and hurt!
But the Lord’s will and provision when these things occur are actually pretty simple to recite, but very difficult to put into practice. The longer we ignore or excuse ourselves from compliance, the more effective our common enemy is to keep our hearts and lives hostage!
Our understanding and loving Father is not asking us to conduct some sort of memory wipe of our brain, to somehow forget unkind words, deeds and pain of the heart! But what He is asking us to do is let Him be God. He will judge all men’s hearts and lives. We must not become trapped into thinking God’s justice will not be exacted, for it will.
For the rest of our days on this good earth, let each of us recognize that God is much more capable of settling the score. He is perfectly fair … perfectly just … perfect in His knowledge of all the motives, thoughts, words and deeds, that have been done by all!
We can’t change what has already been thought, spoken or done by us or to us. What happened … happened! But what each of us can do starting today is make the choices that God instructs us to make that will lead us to living the kind of life God looks upon with favor!
That rat did not belong in our house. We got rid of him and made sure his kind couldn’t get back in. We can’t let the wrong residents find a home in our heart. We must learn to recognize them and get rid of them. We have one chance at living our lives on earth … today … right now! Ask the Lord to help you … strengthen … and keep you … for He can and will carry you through.
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
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