“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Gal. 5:9
Hello, my friends!
I hate being told what to do. Do you know what I mean? Today I was condescendingly corrected by a customer service representative and it made my blood boil. If I’m honest, it is still aggravating me just under my skin.
I hate that tone of smug criticism when someone has judged me or thinks they have me all figured out. Something in me is more than just offended. I feel violated. I’m ready to go to war.
Not that I admit that to myself at the moment. Instead, I point to the injustice of it all. The impulse in me to defiantly lash back in retaliation masquerades itself in a host of rationalities and justifications. “I’ve been wronged!” “You have no right!” But, deep down, the subtext is more like “No one tells me what to do!”
And here’s the truth of the matter…that little seed of ego is the thing in me that needs to die. It is the bit of leaven that leavens the whole lump. And I’m good at hiding it. At least from myself.
As I’ve been studying through 1 John, the writer is constantly pointing us to the reality that God is light. Meaning both truth and purity. And that this truth illuminates. It shines its light into every corner of our lives.
But do we want the truth? A truth that penetrates my self-deception and reveals that seed of ego thriving deep down in my heart. My answer to that is mixed. Yes, I want to be set free from my ego. And no, I prefer that it wouldn’t be revealed, but instead, left alone.
But God’s love has a way of targeting the places in us that remain sick. Revealing to us where we are embracing our kingdom instead of God’s kingdom. As has been said, “In order to say Thy kingdom come, we must be willing to say, my kingdom go.” Truth reveals where my soul is out of alignment with God’s purposes and plans. The small self I’m clutching to that must be released.
And God’s plans and purposes for me are all about loving others. Those different than me. Those who hold contrary views. And especially, those who judge me unfairly or even harshly.
And yes, there is a place to stand up for yourself. To argue back, even. But let us make sure that what we’re defending is truth and not being right. We can certainly make a case where we feel we’ve been wronged. But let us also let the light first do its work in us. To expose our own brokenness and sickness of heart. Let us welcome the truth first in us that our lives might shine God’s love more and more fully, with less and less of ourselves in the way.