And here I'm talking about obeying our Master's words. Sitting on the front steps early this beautiful September morning, was thinking about all that God does for us. Two instances came to thought where doing what Jesus says set me free. As it always has and always will do. For anyone.
The first revolves around our neighbors to the right--the husband a tough ex-Navy man with language to match who was once not easy to deal with This is an understatement! Wanting to run things for others, he actually began planting some rose bushes on our property. This was just the culminating "We're not going to put up with this!" intrusion. We spoke to him. One encounter led to another, and pretty soon, we were in the thick of discord. For some time, he and his wife avoided us in the yard, and we returned the favor.
Then one day, I was reading the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' words, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" jumped off the page for me. I was not thinking or behaving like I belonged to our heavenly Father at all. I knew the time had come that I needed to get my thinking and actions in line with the divine demand. "I can't do this!" was my reaction. "Not where old Baker is concerned." But wanting to be obedient--knowing I had to be--prayerful work began in earnest. It took some time for things to thaw, but do you know, today Baker and I are real buddies. I really love this man. He helps me in various ways, and we do likewise for him and his wife. It's such a sense of freedom to have the easy, warm relationship we have now.
On one level, the initial reaction we might have, to handle inharmonious situations ourselves, could be satisfying for a time. To fight fire with fire, in a manner of speaking, could be tempting. But this would be like putting Miracle Grow on our flowerbeds. We just should not handle conflict this way. I admit following Jesus' teachings is hard to do at times. But peacemaking in everyday occurrences makes other incidents needing peace-keeping that much easier. And challenges will come for all of us who are soldiers of Christ. No, it isn't always easy to rise instantly to the occasion when discord rears its ugly head. But the Christian warfare is glorious. Whatever praying is necessary to control mere personal reaction and do the right thing is well worth the effort.
"Oh, I can just not say anything under provocation, if that's what it takes to keep the peace," someone might say, "but I sure don't have to like it." Smoldering resentment at the actions of other people won't make the grade. As Jesus instructs, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)
Am I telling you that always keeping silent is the one sure way to get along harmoniously with others? No. There might well be circumstances where not speaking up would be cowardly and ineffectual. But in any case there is a need to respond in a Christlike spirit, with loving words and actions meant to heal the situation, not inflame it.
We can each make peace in these small, everyday encounters. The Bible counsels, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." (Romans 12:18) Making earnest efforts to follow this instruction in our daily contacts with our fellowman, we will experience much more harmony. And the best, the really sublime part, we will be conducting ourselves more and more in keeping with what Jesus taught about how to coexist peacefully with others.
The other experience involves a neighbor around the other cul-de-sac. This woman had, and still does I presume, all the juiciest gossip one could wish to hear. Being a person who wants to be kind to others, I let myself be drawn into conversations that left me feeling dirty, not right. But I didn't want to offend her. Then one day I came across something Jesus says about needing to take account for all our words. This is in Matthew 12:36: "...I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement." This I took to mean me and gossip. I took these words to heart and truly wanted to obey them. As is always the case, I had my opportunity not long after to put my resolve to the test. Here came this woman one day when I was doing some gardening. Although she had in mind to relay the latest gossip, this time the conversation was kept on a higher level. I did not even want to engage in what she had to say, had no interest in the news at all. We chatted without her taking offense or thinking me cold. Ever after, God has caused our paths to not collide. Just haven't been put in the circumstance where there was any problem.
Something from Mary Baker Eddy's writings, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" to be exact, was helpful in all of this as well. "Neither sympathy nor society should ever tempt us to cherish error in any form, and certainly we should not be error's advocate." (pages 153, 154) This helped me see that while I wanted to be neighborly, it was not incumbent upon me to go along with gossip just to keep the peace, so to speak.
Doing what God gave Jesus to give us as guidelines for living does change things for the better. And I find that wanting to follow in Jesus' steps brings a sense of dignity as well. We become more discriminating in what we do and say. We have a right, under God's direction, to think our own thoughts. The determining factor in our everyday harmony is our obedience to what we know is right, to what will please our heavenly Father--never what other people may be thinking or wanting us to go along with. At the door of our own thought is where we maintain our Christly composure and sense of dominion.
Let me repeat: the desire to do things Jesus' way unfailingly brings the right distance, balance, freedom, to our dealings with others. And rather than letting down our standards, it causes us to become more judicious. We learn to keep human opinion and influence at arm's length and are empowered to entrust our unfolding spiritual understanding and progress to God alone. No neighborly, Christian behaviour is forfeited, just harmony and helpfulness to others increased.
How practical and powerful are Jesus' words!
