I shared the following personal experience with CUPC Wednesday night to close a lesson on unity and loving my brother. Tis not always so easy….rks
A few days ago I taught a series of lessons to CUPC about forgiveness and loving one’s brother no matter what happens…
Little did I know what path I was to walk soon….
It came to my attention one day that a fellow minister had endeavored to reach into my home and hurt myself and my family…
I was devastated with the untrue things said…
Tracie and I were numb and wept for days together…
We had friends drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night just to hug us and pray with us…
Another friend called in the very peak of the crisis, when we were hurting the worst and I asked him to pray so he and another minister and their wives prayed with us over the speaker phone long after Tracie and I had run out of prayer and tears…
Friends from around the country began to call and join us in prayer…
Somebody handed Tracie a CD with a song that ministered so deeply to her and we would drive for hours replaying that song over and over…
I dealt with every emotion possible…
I wanted to hold Tracie…
I wanted to drive and beat the dude up…
I was angry…
I wanted revenge…
I would have delighted in the demise of the tale bearer…
I sought counsel and my counselor was not interested…
This time it was me and God…
Enter Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Yeah, I understand loving my brother…
I understand forgiving those that hurt you…
But I again discovered that I have no choice…
I am a prisoner like Paul…
And my bonds are the bonds of peace…
If I am to be one with Him…
I am literally handcuffed with a spirit of peace…
Handcuffs of Gold…
With golden handcuffs it is not convenient to do things I would normally have done….
With these cuffs I cannot respond like I wish…
I cannot touch my brother when cuffed with His peace….
This was not too fun for me in my current dilemma…
But I submitted…
I heard my enemy was in trouble so I wrote him pledging love and prayers…
I was afforded an occasion to be in service with him and was able to put my arm around him and pray with him…
I was able to look him in the eye and tell him I love him…
It was not easy…
I had no choice…
If I am to be one with Him…
I must be one with him…
Little did I know what path I was to walk soon….
It came to my attention one day that a fellow minister had endeavored to reach into my home and hurt myself and my family…
I was devastated with the untrue things said…
Tracie and I were numb and wept for days together…
We had friends drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night just to hug us and pray with us…
Another friend called in the very peak of the crisis, when we were hurting the worst and I asked him to pray so he and another minister and their wives prayed with us over the speaker phone long after Tracie and I had run out of prayer and tears…
Friends from around the country began to call and join us in prayer…
Somebody handed Tracie a CD with a song that ministered so deeply to her and we would drive for hours replaying that song over and over…
I dealt with every emotion possible…
I wanted to hold Tracie…
I wanted to drive and beat the dude up…
I was angry…
I wanted revenge…
I would have delighted in the demise of the tale bearer…
I sought counsel and my counselor was not interested…
This time it was me and God…
Enter Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Yeah, I understand loving my brother…
I understand forgiving those that hurt you…
But I again discovered that I have no choice…
I am a prisoner like Paul…
And my bonds are the bonds of peace…
If I am to be one with Him…
I am literally handcuffed with a spirit of peace…
Handcuffs of Gold…
With golden handcuffs it is not convenient to do things I would normally have done….
With these cuffs I cannot respond like I wish…
I cannot touch my brother when cuffed with His peace….
This was not too fun for me in my current dilemma…
But I submitted…
I heard my enemy was in trouble so I wrote him pledging love and prayers…
I was afforded an occasion to be in service with him and was able to put my arm around him and pray with him…
I was able to look him in the eye and tell him I love him…
It was not easy…
I had no choice…
If I am to be one with Him…
I must be one with him…
RKS
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2 comments:
Kent, I found your blog site quite by accident. I am so sorry that your and your wife's life and ministry was hurt by another who should have been lifting you up. I hope you don't mind, but I copied and pasted your blog to a friend on mine that is going through the same thing right now as my family.
Love and prayers
Kelli Gibson Rawlinson
Good to hear from you Kelly...
So many years have passed...
I hope all is well with all of your family....
God Bless
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