Small steps in faith

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Quick to listen..slow to speak...slow to get angry





I heard a message this week dealing with the passage in James..."My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen,slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19
Words can be one of the most damaging weapons to a person's soul. Not just spoken words....written words as well.
In the past few months, I've watched people I love be hurt by words. I've watched "sides" develop where there should be no sides. I've watched words and anger destroy relationships. All in the name of "Christianity"
Last night Mike talked about violence vs passivism...and he showed there is a 3rd way to handle things...nonviolence...and it's done with love. There is never just 2 ways,2 sides,there is a 3rd way....Jesus showed us that in his teachings...in the way he responded to the Pharisees,in his actions. I think there are alot of us,myself included, who need to be reminded of that.

posted by Rochelle @ 9:14 AM  

3 Comments:

  • At 10:31 AM, Blogger Adam said…

    Mike and I talked a little about this whole third way thing. If you look at Matthew 5, it's very obvious that when Jesus talks about turning the other cheek and going an extra mile, he isn't talking about pacificism, and he isn't talking about revenge - he presents a third way to respond to injustice and wrongdoing.

    I'm going to get a book sometime from Walter Wink about this whole third way thing. Shane Claiborne highlights it in his book The Irresistible Revolution.

    I'm sorry about all the stuff that's happening right now. I'm trying to stay out of it as much as possible, but since it involves people I care about (on both sides, not that I want there to be sides) it's hard to not do something. Hopefully God will stir all of our hearts towards Him, and when we put our focus on Jesus, I believe that some of these things that seem to be so huge now will be inconsequential in the light of His face.

     

  • At 11:22 AM, Blogger Mike said…

    I think that it is pretty obvious in Scripture that Jesus advocated the third way over and above violence or passivism. Then there is pacifism, which is different. A passive person roles over and allows themselves to continue to be oppressed. A pacifist works actively for peace. I think that Jesus advocated pacifism, not passivism. I may not have made this distinction when I taught this week.

    Anyway, violence only brings more violence. Jesus said in Matthew's Gospel that "all who draw the sword will die by the sword".

    So you have these two ineffective reactions: fight and be killed, or do nothing and continue being oppressed. But Jesus offered a third way in which you (the oppressed) maintain your dignity and humanity.

    It is a difficult way to choose. It is contrary to our basic survival instincts: fight or flight. But those instincts are the roots of violence and passivism.

     

  • At 5:41 PM, Blogger Rochelle said…

    Adam
    I know that you have unwillingly been placed in the middle of all of this..I think you've done the best you can to listen on both sides...I'm sorry all of this is happening too...I hope you're right ..I hope that emotions and self- focus are replaced with focus on Christ.. Mike talked about violence on one side and passivism on the other and next to violence is passive aggressive behavior...and that's what I've seen alot of in the form of cynicism and manipulation and "drama"...
    When you understand the history behind "turn the other cheek and walking the 2nd mile..that's when it clicks that there is a 3rd way and that's what helped me understand the verses in a way I hadn't heard before.

    Mike You didn't specifically say the difference in pacifism and passivism but I understood the difference in the meanings when you explained the verses. You're right...the 3rd way goes against our "human nature" It's something we have to consciously do.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home