Nasty stuff. It was flying at me in all directions with the fragile weather vane of my emotions drooping under the torrent.
Ever been there?
Sure you have. Bullies abound from school yard to head office.
Now we have the internet and other forms of communication that can enable others to have digs at snapchat speed, send texts and vile video.
Burn phones provide a convenient option of abusive anonymity.
Pus balls can fly and smash your emotions to pieces.
For quite some time I have been meditating on the suffering of Christ.
Pretty much from day one he was a marked man. Herod wanting to kill him as a babe. Taunts and insinuations from religious leaders, lawyers, and then abandonment.
Being spat on must have been disgusting.
Whipped, crown of thorns, stripped naked, exposed for all to see.
Yet he said nothing. He didn’t retaliate.
I am certain this would have infuriated some of his detractors even more. Laying out the bait to see it untouched.
[pullquote]Don’t take is so personally! It may not be about you at all. In this way you can escape a child’s mind. David Riddell[/pullquote]
Suffering under the weight of abuse he was secure.
How did Jesus stay secure within the violence of abuse?
He had security in his primary relationship.
I think we all would agree that human relationships are fickle. A friend today can be a foe tomorrow.
Yet we all desire to have perfect relationships with others. Actually we were designed for free flowing love relationships. Its in our DNA – Divine Nature Attributions.
We were designed to have perfect relationship just as Father, Son and Holy Spirit have between themselves. We were made in their image.
Living in a fallen world of brokenness, self interest and self preservation we are along way away from Eden.
What can we learn from Christ?
1. Christ was perfectly secure in his relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
His significance was not based on the fickle relationship between he and mankind. Loving him one day, denying him the next. It was solidly grounded in the love of God. Nothing would shake this. He was secure and no abuse would alter this.
We too can have this solidarity with Christ by leaning into Gods love for us when the going gets tough.
I and the Father are one heart and mind. John10:30
2. He had security in his purpose
Christ was totally 100% certain about his mission and purpose in life. He never doubted his calling. Others would question him, challenge him and want to distract him away from what really mattered. When you have a clear vision and purpose it feels like you are bullet proof.[pullquote]A vision we give to others of who and what they could become has power when it echoes what the spirit has already spoken into their souls. Larry Crabb[/pullquote]
I think of some of the great leaders who have truly changed the course of world history. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi all had a vision and purpose that was bigger than themselves.
Something was burning in them that no spitting could put out. It had power because it echoed what the Holy Spirit had spoken into their souls.
Are you secure in your purpose? Do you have a calling that fires you up every morning?
3. He had security in his performance
A place where the critics can latch on to in our souls is in our performance. Thoughts of ‘You’re not good enough’ can bounce back when the abuse hits. Echoes of childhood and parental expectations unmet.
Jesus was perfect, he never failed, never faulted, never flopped. He knew that any allegations of sin were groundless and so no punishment was his due. Every allegation, every abuse, every shred of gossip was without foundation. He and he alone could say ‘I have done no wrong’
You might well say ‘That’s great for Jesus, but it certainly isn’t the case for me’ and this is certainly true.[pullquote]A “perfect” person ends up being one who can consciously forgive and include imperfection rather than one who thinks he or she is totally above and beyond imperfection. Richard Rohr[/pullquote]
Here is the best news ever! Christ lived the perfect life on my behalf. He was vicarious in his nature. He lived and died on my behalf. I cannot add anything to his performance. He has done it all and in this security I have strength.
I can say to myself ‘Yes I have and will continue to fail, but I have one who lived a perfect life on my behalf therefore I don’t have to live under the heavy burden of trying to please God with my shabby form of perfection’
As I am secure in my own acknowledgement of imperfection I can consciously forgive and include the imperfection’s of others.
Christ calls out to his Father.
“Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” Luke 23:34
Christ knew full well the imperfection of our knowledge about him and so pleads for our forgiveness before the Father.
When the flak starts flying we can be secure in Gods love, our true reference point of significance.
Question: When you feel like a target of abuse where do you find a sense of security? You can leave a comment below.
Barry Pearman
Photo Credit: aussiegall via Compfight cc
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