Quote from Forum Archives on January 9, 2001, 9:51 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I had been planning to share a different message with you until
I came across this one. It caused me to think. I would like you
to read it, pray about it, and think about how you would respond
to someone in a similar situation. I don't think the answer of
how we should respond is an easy one, nor is it one to be taken
lightly.

I think Neil's advice is good, but at the same time, I think a
sensitive, caring, patient attitude toward those who are hurting
is really important. I really have to watch it. A lot of times
I may have good advice for other people. But maybe, just maybe,
it is NOT my advice that they need. Perhaps it is a response
that shows that I care that is even more important.

There is a time for instruction, and there is a time for being a
friend. I suspect that each one of us come across friends,
relatives, work associates, or someone at church that has gone
through some kind of traumatic experience. How do we respond to
them?

In terms of answers, I think that Neil's answer is probably one
that is theologically accurate, that is, I think it matches what
scripture says about God and such things. But I would like us to
dig a bit deeper than that. There is a principle here that is
also in scripture, one that can be found in Matthew 22:34-40 and
also in Luke 10:25-29 (or the complete parable Luke 10:25-37).
It is the principle of seeking God with all of our heart, loving
Him completely, and then sharing that same heartfelt attitude of
love with everyone. To me, doing what is loving takes precidence
even over saying and doing exactly what is right. The difficulty
comes in the area of discernment: when is it right and loving to
be confrontational, and when is it best to show tenderness and
compassion?

I leave that question for your own contemplation. I pray that
you will think and pray about such issues, seeking God for the
answers to life's most difficult questions.

Dear God, I know that You are a God of love and compassion. I
know that You have experienced every emotion that I have
experienced, and You understand my every need. Teach me the ways
of Your compassion. I am learning from Your Word, but I need
Your discerning Spirit to help me every day as I deal with the
events around me. I know You are there. Teach me to listen to
You when You speak to me. I ask each of these things humbly, in
Jesus' Name. Amen.

Subject: Neil Anderson Devotional for Monday, January 8, 2001
To: <masinick@yahoo.com>
From: Crosswalk.com <listreplies@crosswalk.com>

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

January 8

A NEW CREATURE

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians
5:17).

Dan and Cindy were a fine young Christian couple who were
preparing for ministry on the mission field. Then tragedy struck:
Cindy was raped. As hard as she tried to get back to normal life,
Cindy couldn't shake the horrible memories and feelings from her
experience.

Six months after the tragedy, Dan and Cindy attended a church
conference where I was speaking. During the conference Cindy
called me in tears. "Neil, I know God can turn everything into
good, but how is He going to do that?"

"Wait a minute, Cindy," I said. "God will work everything out for
good, but He doesn't make a bad thing good. What happened to you
was evil. God's good thing is to show you how you can walk
through your crisis and come out of it a better person."

"But I just can't separate myself from my experience," she
sobbed. "I've been raped, Neil, and I'll be a victim of that all
my life."

"No, Cindy," I insisted. "The rape happened to you, but it hasn't
changed who you are, nor does it have to control you. You were
the victim of a terrible, ugly tragedy. But if you only see
yourself as a rape victim for the rest of your life, you will
never be free. You're a child of God. You can't fix the past, but
you can be free from it."

All of us have a number of hurtful, traumatic experiences in our
past which have scarred us emotionally. You may have grown up
with a physically, emotionally or sexually abusive parent. Any
number of traumatic, emotional events can clutter your soul with
emotional baggage which seems to limit your maturity and block
your freedom in Christ. You must renounce the experiences and
lies that have controlled you and forgive those who have offended
you.

As a Christian, you are primarily the product of the work of
Christ on the cross. You are literally a new creature in Christ.
The "old you" is gone; the "new you" is here.

Father, thank You for working all things for good in my life,
even the effects of evil attacks meant for my harm and
destruction.

-----------
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< devotionals.crosswalk.com >.
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Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
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