Cats, Criticism, and Calvary

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." -Ephesians 4:29

Who is your "Cat-person"? 

Do you have a person (or people, as the case may be) in your life that pounces on every opportunity to verbally attack you? A person who behaves like a cat that sneaks up on an unsuspecting mouse and leaps toward it, focused, hissing, claws out, going in for the kill? If you consider those words dramatic, I am going to assume that you, in fact, do not know a "Cat-woman" or "Cat-man". I sincerely hope that you have not had the intense displeasure of feeling like someone sees you as a target, as their "mouse." Sadly, during conversations with friends and acquaintances, I have been repeatedly informed that I am not the only one. There are others who have limped away from a conversation battered and bruised by intentionally hurtful "jokes", barbed comments, blatant put-downs, fierce criticisms, the list goes on and on. 

Disclaimer ahead... 

Allow me to issue an "ugly truth" disclaimer here: Yes, I have allowed and sometimes forced words out of this mouth (or through these hands if typing/texting) that no doubt cut someone else to the bone and/or made them angry to the core. Yes, in the past, I have done so on purpose. And, yes, goodness, yes, I hate that. God has regular much-needed talks with me about how I talk, about how I wield the power of words, about whether I speak blessings or curses into the lives of others. Now, I can honestly assert that, though at times I permit my temper to fire off words instead of seeking God to cool me down, any hurt that I bring to others in conversation is not intentional and deeply regretted after the fact. 

What on Earth do we do? 

The issue at hand, however, is not every single person on this Earth, saved or not, that makes mistakes and injures another in the process. I am referring to those who truly seek to bring pain to other people, for whatever reason, and by all appearances feel no remorse about their actions. What on Earth do we do about those people, Lord? He has heard that question as often from me as I hear the word "Mommy" in my household. Well....not that much, but a lot, I can assure you. 

You're not alone

When I ask, He takes me back to the time that our perfect Jesus walked on this imperfect, sin-scarred Earth. One would imagine that being the Son of God, God in flesh, holy, blameless, Savior and Redeemer would get Jesus a "get-out-of-criticism-free" card. Heart-breakingly, no. The Pharisees stated that, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons" (Matt. 9:34). In layman terms, they were accusing him of drawing his power from the devil. Matthew chapter 13 tells us that when He began teaching in His hometown, "they took offense at him" (verse 57). There are so many more references, but let us not forget the place that symbolizes all the pain, agony, criticism, torture that the Sinless One took on so that we sinners might live eternally with Him in Heaven. Let us not forget Calvary. Before and during the crucifixion, we read that these actions were taken against Jesus: "spit in his face", "struck him with their fists", "stripped him", "mocked him", "twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head", "struck him on the head again and again", and so much more, not to mention the nails that He willingly allowed them to drive into His hands and feet to crucify Him on a cross (Matt. 26, 27). 

What on Earth did HE do? 

Though those scriptures can certainly put our pain in perspective, they do not discount our hurts in the eyes of God. Psalm 56:8 reads, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." He sees; He cares. I included those verses about Jesus's suffering not to say that ours is inconsequential, but so we can study how He dealt with attacks in His time here on Earth. 

1. He made alone time with God the Father a priority. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." -Mark 1:35 

It does not have to be early morning, but it is so important to set aside time to be alone with God and hear His truth, especially when assaulted with criticism and lies. 

2. He responded to attacks with truth based on God's word. The most memorable occasion is in Matthew chapter 4 when Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus's response to every temptation was, "It is written..." followed by scripture quotes (v. 4, 7, 10). This is not to say that we should quote Bible verses to every "cat" who attacks us, but rather that it is enormously helpful to hold tight to God's Word and God's truth when faced with vicious words and lies. When necessary, God will enable us to respond verbally by "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15), but knowing God's truth in our heart can assist us in holding our peace when that is needed as well. 

3. He forgave. Let's return to that old rugged cross once more. "Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." -Luke 23:34 Whew-wee! That is a tough one. Tough for me to write. Tough for me to live. If you are anything like me, tough for you to hear. This flesh of mine never has any desire to forgive those who hurt me. BUT this heart of mine that beats for Jesus wants so deeply to please Him and obey His commands. I know that if I ask Him to help me choose to get past my feelings, forgive, and move on, He will. Enormously difficult for this sinner, but entirely possible through my Savior. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You that even though words can hurt, You can heal. Help us to speak blessings into the lives of others and forgive those that speak curses into ours. Thank You that You see our pain, You care about it, and You are always willing to walk us through it if we reach out and take Your hand. We love You, Lord. Thank You for loving us. In Jesus's name, Amen! 

P.S. No cats or mice were harmed in the making of this post. Though I am not a raving fan of either, no offense meant to them or their owners ;)