WEDNESDAY’S WORD
Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech always be gracious,
seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Have you ever been in a discussion that suddenly got
heated, but you were white-knuckling through it to keep your cool? How do we throw some water on the heat of the
words?
Welcome to Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s
Word with Trench Classes United.
So I was in the midst of such a conversation, but before
I tell you the ending, let me give you some backdrop so you can understand the
context: I had gone to a conference for women and had taken someone very
special to me. After a sweet time of worship, the first speaker got up there
and began sharing the purpose of the whole conference, to begin a movement
wherein we would build others, serve and sow in a time of so much confusion,
and she went on to state homosexuality as the biggest part of that confusion.
It was like she had an arrow for this group/behavior and she was aiming for a
bulls-eye!
Well, this person who was with me is in between that
lifestyle, has lived that lifestyle for more than 20 years – as a result of
being physically, emotionally and sexually abused. And that’s not to excuse her
behavior/choice but to understand it. I dropped the gavel a long time ago on
such controversial issues and let God deal with them for He is the only one who
knows their heart. It’s not my battle or my call; my only call is to love them.
The words definitely hit her heart and not in a good way,
but she exerted some self-control. She said she knew to take what she could
from the speaker(s) and to leave the rest on the floor. I breathed a sigh of
relief, until on break she brought it up and began to get pretty angry about
it. In fact, the more she talked about it, the madder she got!
To make a long story short, on the last day of the
conference I posted something positive on Facebook about it, and tagged the
speaker who had spoken out so vehemently about this lifestyle. I said nothing
about that; I focused on what was good, the things I had taken from the
conference.
The next day I was shopping with my BFF and I got a phone
call from the one I had taken to the conference. She wanted me to help her
understand why I would post “such nice things” about the conference when I didn’t
agree with her.
I shared that I didn’t disagree with everything she had
said, but if I were ever given a chance to speak into her life about this
particular subject and give her thoughts to help her think twice about casting
judgment so righteously, would she listen to me if I bashed her on social
media?
“Well, that’s true,” she acceded…but not for long. Within
minutes she got herself all worked up again – my friend could hear her as we
were in line waiting to pay for our stuff – and I literally had to ask her to
lower her voice as eyes began turning in my direction.
She said, “But you are guilty by association,” to which I
asked her what she meant. “You shouldn’t alienate any group of people from God
by being like that. You need to disassociate yourself.”
God intervened in such a powerful way by giving me these
words: “We are called to be salt to the world, to be light. Just because I
don’t agree with her doesn’t mean I get to disassociate with her.”
Silence…
Silence…
“Hey, it’s my turn to pay so I’ll call you back later.”
It felt so good to not only say those words but to live
by those words!
I pray they give you something to think about and help
you thru your next difficult conversation.
Love,
Kim-Evinda
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