The Injury of Precious Souls

Whatever direction our devotional study might have taken today, please forgive me, but I felt it was more important to do this instead…

A few weeks ago I was exposed to a story involving one of those incidents which is (unfortunately) all too common in church life. An individual acting under her perceived authority in a particular area of church management had been extremely abrupt with another member of the church, the latter who (also unfortunately) is a relatively new Christian.

The story is one of those ‘tempest in a teapot’ things that doesn’t affect the day-to-day operation of the church, but it was significant enough that it somewhat sickened me to think that the latter person had been deeply affected (i.e. hurt) the by the actions of the former person, to the point they decided to relinquish their own volunteer service in that area.

This second person is a woman. While she is in no way unattractive, whenever I look at her, I see something else. I see a precious soul. The C.S. Lewis quotation again comes to mind:

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors…”

Furthermore, as a new Christian, she is also a fragile soul, as in the end, are all of us. And so this verse came to mind:

[Jesus: ] “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.“ – Mark 9:42

While the NIV use of “stumble” gets stuck in our minds, other translations (including a range as wide as NLT to NASB) render this as “sin.” We tend to think of the verse in that way; someone overtly leading someone into sin by introducing them to some horrific behavior or setting an incredibly poor (or hypocritical) example of what it means to live the Christian life.

But the enemy can work in more subtle ways. The HCSB reads, “…whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones…” and over the years I have seen some otherwise exemplary people drive others out of local churches through words that should not have been spoken.

Confession time: I did it myself once, though it was years later that I was informed of the details. He was a young person — I wince at that as I type it — who was volunteering in our sound (tech) department, and there were a lot of hiccups at the 9:30 AM service. I remember being firm and saying, “These problems will be fixed at the 11:00 AM service.”

While I don’t think it was anymore harsh than that, again, we need to remember that some people are fragile souls. He wasn’t a regular volunteer; I think he was just starting to come on board, but then someone else was away, so he got tagged as the principle sound mixer that day, and he wasn’t really on my radar.

Years later someone told me — and as I type this I hope it wasn’t true — that he left the church that day. So many years had gone by that I’d even forgotten his name, and his father, who had attended the church, had married and left the area. To this day I’d like to pick up some of those pieces, but his service was so short-lived that others couldn’t recall him when I described him to them. Ouch!

In the second part of a verse that’s contextually in a passage about judging others, Paul writes this:

…[M]ake up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. – Romans 14:13b NIV

Returning to my original story, I don’t think people realize the damage they can do others, especially those who are new in their Christian walk. I don’t believe that they would ever consider for a moment that their words would cause someone to leave the church. I know I didn’t.

The words of Jesus on this from Mark’s gospel (above) are echoed by all the synoptic gospel writers. Luke writes:

Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.  (17:6,7 NRSV)

as does Matthew:

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!  (18:6,7 NIV)

Guard yourself against the possibility of inadvertently injuring a precious soul.

Healing Power of Forgiveness

As of tomorrow Christianity 201 will complete a full year of daily devotional writing and deeper Bible study.   There has been a mix here of original pieces and “reprints” from across the Christian blogosphere.   There is no shortage of sources for devotional material; anyone with a need simply has to look.  Today I discovered Daily Enounter, a ministry of ACTS International, which you can read by subscription.  This sample devotional appeared there under the title, Forgiveness: The Power to Heal

Some years ago during a visit to Yellowstone Park, one writer observed that the only animal that the grizzly bear would share his food with was a skunk. It wasn’t that the grizzly wanted to share his food but rather that he chose to. With one swing of his powerful paw he could have crushed the skunk. So why did he allow the skunk to eat with him?

Because he knew the high cost of getting even. Smart bear!

Undoubtedly he learned the hard way. Strange that we humans often aren’t as  smart. Sometimes we carry grudges for years, often repressing them from conscious memory, and end up hurting ourselves more than the ones we would like to get even with. We fail to see how damaging an unforgiving spirit is.

In his book, None of These Diseases, Dr. S.I. McMillen says, “Medical science recognizes that emotions such as fear, sorrow, envy, resentment and hatred are responsible for the majority of our sicknesses. Estimates vary from 60 percent to nearly 100 percent.”

I read one report of an astonished patient who was told by his doctor: “If you don’t cut out your resentments, I may have to cut out a part of your intestinal tract.”

Fortunately, the man took the doctor’s advice. He had been nursing a bitter grudge against a former business partner. He went to see this man, resolved their differences, and forgave him. When he returned to the doctor, his physical condition had cleared up.

That advice isn’t new of course. The greatest physician who ever lived, Jesus Christ, pointed out 2,000 years ago the importance of forgiveness. When he encouraged us to “forgive seventy times seven,” he was thinking of our physical as much as our spiritual well-being. As Dr. McMillen says, he knew that a forgiving spirit would save us from “ulcerative colitis, toxic goiters, high blood pressure, and scores of other diseases.” including ulcers, asthma, arthritis, neuro-dermatitis, and heart ailments—all possible effects of resentment.

The Bible’s advice is therefore just as relevant today as it was when written 2,000 years ago: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”¹

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'”²

“Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you God that you have forgiven me for all my sins, failings and shortcomings. Help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

P.S. “Failure to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die!”

1. Ephesians 4:32.
2. Matthew 18:21-22, (NIV).

Extreme Makeover — Soul Edition

No specific text today, but you’ve already taken care of that already, right?  I wanted to use this anyway because I really liked what it said.  This is by Murray Wittke who blogs at All The Days of my Life, where it appeared earlier this month under the title Soul Surgery.

They call it medical tourism or vacation makeovers.  This unique sector of the travel industry involves flabby, saggy, and droopy adults being pampered in exotic and sunny destinations while they recover from tummy tucks and surgery to lift and tighten the neck, face, brow, and breasts.  Just imagine with me, a Mediterranean Villa nestled on a hillside with a spectacular view of the ocean and overlooking groves of Orange trees.  There’s a warm breeze blowing and there in your own private garden, on a deck chair beside a pool, you’re relaxing in the sunshine.  Hidden from view no one sees the surgical tape, the black eyes, the puffy face, or the bruises. You simply return from vacation to a chorus of compliments from friends and family about  How good you’re looking!

Recently I’ve had a similar experience, my own vacation makeover, but in a lot colder location.  This winter I’ve spent a total of five weeks away in Fort Saint John at a counseling course undergoing what I can only refer to as Soul Surgery.  I’ve returned looking much the same on the outside but very different on the inside.  I admit there’s still some puffiness around my eyes and my heart feels a bit tender but the surgery went well and I’m healing fast.  I now have a much healthier heart.  From now on my friends and family are going to be seeing a brand new me!

It’s hard to get a man to go to the doctor and I’ll confess I’m one of those men.  In November I went to the first module of a counseling course for my initial two week checkup.  I was aware of a few signs in my life that suggested there might be problems somewhere below the surface, but like many men I did a good job of minimizing their significance.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before or maybe even said it yourself  “Hey don’t worry about me, it doesn’t hurt that much, I’m fine… really!” You know the routine, stiff upper lip, be a man, just suck it up and soldier on, and then get busy helping people with real difficulties.

My visit revealed I was not as healthy as I thought I was.  I actually needed some serious work done in my heart.  I discovered there was painful infection lodged throughout my past.  Through the five weeks of the course I came to clearly see how my reaction to the pain in my heart was negatively affecting my current behavior and relationships.  I was not only living with pain but I was also guilty of unconsciously hurting others.

My surgery began with writing out and then talking about the difficult and painful stories from throughout my life.  I discovered some deep wounds that I’ve carried for many years.  Then with my friends helping me I set to work examining my style of relating to other people.  What I found out was not pleasant.  I had to acknowledge and accept some difficult truths about myself.  I had to honestly face the truth of how in my pain, my negative behavior had hurt others, especially those I love.  I then began the hard work of forgiving others for what was done to me, and the even harder work of forgiving myself.

Shame and sorrow are very real emotions but I came to realize that I could not stay there forever.  In hope I kept moving forward, but I’ve been surprised at how difficult dislodging longstanding infection of the heart can be.  Lastly I committed myself to the task of asking forgiveness from those I have hurt or negatively affected over the years.  This will take some time but it must be done.

I’m thankful for the loving support and encouragement of my fellow travelers, teachers, and counselors.  I’m grateful I have not had to go through Soul Surgery alone.  He who is called Wonderful Counselor has been with me and guided this whole process, and I realize He is not finished with me yet.

If you’ve noticed a bruise on your soul that refuses to heal, or a pain in your heart that won’t go away, or even a pattern of behavior that keeps causing you problems don’t ignore it and don’t keep putting it off, ask for help.  Life can be much better, trust me I know first hand.  I went and had my pain looked at, had the surgery,  and now that I’m feeling much better I’m looking forward to helping others find relief from the pain in their heart.  I like the sound of that, Murray Wittke Soul Surgeon.  Here’s to Healthy Hearts!

~Murray Wittke