Isn't that what the Hippocratic Oath
says? When one can do no appreciable good, mustn't one settle for doing no
harm?I seem to be at just such a crossroads. Once again I find myself at odds with a pair of individuals who cannot or will not be reasoned with. Simultaneously, my church has just finished a series on Romans 12, in which the apostle Paul stresses the need to:
"Hate what is evil; cling to what is good... Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer... Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse... Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. 'On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."(vv. 9-21 excerpts)
While trying to apply this passage
to my circumstances, I must confess to feeling frustrated and fed up at
this point. It has been going on for quite some time, and no efforts of mine
seem to make any difference. If anything, my kindness and cooperation have been
met with stony silence alternating with outright rudeness. I can only assume
from past experience that further attempts to reconcile will simply make
matters worse.
I give up.
I'm out of ideas - and energy - to
try to mend this spite fence. The only course left, it would appear, is to
let them live their lives as they will, do nothing to exacerbate the problem,
and most especially keep them in my prayers. While I am directed by Scripture
to try my best to forgive, it's clear I can't win them over. Only God can do that.
Courtesy, it seems in this instance,
is becoming less common all the time.
Someone else once knew what it felt
like to have generosity go unappreciated and blame cast where there was
none. God
forbid that self-righteousness be implied by this comparison. On the contrary,
He's showing me just how fallible and imperfect I am, especially when it comes
to suffering. How amazing that He deems me worth the effort. As my friend and prayer partner mused this morning, I'd
rather be a toilet seat in the House of God than crown molding in the house of
the enemy!
"Better is one day in
your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the
house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." Psalm 84:10
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