I Deleted some People from my Friends List and guess what Happened?

I didn’t write anything for a while. Didn’t want to…..

It seemed like every time I tried to say something, that these people immediately had to jump in and say something to the contrary, before I could even let the ink dry.

I had been admonished by some wonderful people writing there on Facebook, that if these people were constantly trying to distract from what I hoped to say to help people, that I should “click them off.”

I received a personal e-mail from one of my deletions that was irate to say the least. This person informed me that they were a oneness minister for over forty years and didn’t appreciate me “attacking their holiness traditions.”

I don’t guess I will ever forget what they said further on.

“Every time you go to church and raise your hands to God, I want you to remember that you deleted me as your friend and how wrong you are.

This proves that all this rhetoric you have been saying here is false. If you decide that you ever want to be my friend again just let me know and maybe I will reconsider.”

People, don’t preach to me. This is a classic example of the spirit and attitude we have faced in our Churches all these years.

This was not a Facebook nobody or a wild hare in the street whom nobody knows, this is an ordained minister in a well known fellowship to which many of us once and still belong. And I wondered in my town, why so many of the local people wanted nothing to do with us, or our religion…..

Frankly, my dear, in the flesh, as a man, I would happily tell this person that if I could get my hands on your neck, I would throttle you. Only time and history will write just how much harm and damage this has done to our community and neighbors…. and to the Kingdom of God.

As a man in the flesh who is trying desperately to recover and forgive on a daily basis, I pray for the day that I can honestly say that I forgive this person and giddily say, “Well God bless them, and you know we have to have a forgiving spirit.”

Don’t preach to me. It’s not the time. I’ve got work to do on this… I don’t know about you.

One of the greatest challenges in recovery is to react to things happening right now at the moment, and not allow old wounds and past hurts to rush back in and cause you to “over-react” and say too much now.

If you think that Apostle Paul never got to the place where he openly spoke that he wished some of the people who had caused him so much harm got what was coming to them, then you need to read the Book again.

So, ask me what Jesus would have done in such a situation and I’l tell you plainly. He took a whip in his hand, turned over all their tables and maybe even lashed a few with His crop.

Enough already. I’ll tell you bluntly. I don’t want to meet this person in Hell. I want to pray through, take a stiff upper lip and go forward.

But baby, it ain’t easy….. As a preacher’s kid, I grew up with this kind of spirit. Didn’t like it then and like it even less now. I’ll get over it, if I really want to.

No wonder Paul said that in one place “they were pressed above measure” and about wished they were dead.

Yes, he said that too. Anger is not a good place for me, as you can see. But the scripture also said “be angry” and sin not.

I got the angry part. I gotta work on the rest of it…..

First published: September 1, 2010.

~ Robert Blackburn

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Robert Blackburn

 

 

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