Proverbs 6:12-15
A scoundrel and villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up dissension. Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
It is rare that I get angry. I might get annoyed, or peeved even, but really truly, blood boiling anger rarely comes to me. So last night, when something made me angry, and people who knew me saw me so angry, it was a bit of a surprise.
Last night I was at a meeting related to a political committee I am on, and the purpose of the meeting was to meet this man who is trying to come in, not even a part of the committee, and cause dissent. I went with an open mind, and an open heart, wanting to learn about this man. He did not make it easy.
One of the first things he said was "I am a Christian, and everything I do, I do out of love". His behavior after that statement was some of the most unloving, unChristian behavior I have ever seen. He spread falsehoods about the current leadership, gave people misinformation, twisted facts, cut people off when they were talking, brushed people off, and solely focused on creating dissent. I sat there, with a heavy heart. Is this really what I wanted to get involved in?
And as I listed to him malign people, and create controversy, I felt a burning desire for justice. So, I raised my hand to speak. He acknowledged me, and then basically said, I am not going to let you talk right now. Well, I was not standing for this. I tried to tell him how disheartening this meeting was for people trying to get involved, with the extreme lack of respect, not only for current leadership (and for fact) but for each other, as exhibited by not letting people speak and cutting people off. As I tried to speak, he attempted to cut me off many times, to get back to his own agenda, and I would point out his behavior and explain that it was a perfect example of what I was describing. He still would not let me talk, and got angry at my confrontation, so finally he told me to make my point so we could move on.
My response was to gather my things, stand up, look him in the eye, and state "My point is exactly this. You make me feel unwelcome". And I left.
Trust me, there were a LOT of things my anger was telling me to say, but I felt that by doing this, I was handling things appropriately, not name calling, not yelling, but showing the situation for what it was.
I try my hardest to not be judgmental, and I know for sure I failed miserably at that last night. However, it always strikes me as odd when someone has to tell me how good they are, at anything, at their job, at their hobby, and especially at being a Christian. If you have to tell me how good you are, chances are you aren't, because if you were, I could see it for myself.
As the week rolls on, we will learn if this man is to be involved with our committee, and based on that, I will have to prayerfully determine what my role will be. I ask all of you to pray for me as well.
I am sure I could have handled this situation better, so, what would you have done if this had happened to you?
