Here is some food for thought…
There are times in our lives that we simply have to accept
the inevitable. Sometimes our plans do not line up with God’s, and His will is
going to win out. We simply need to learn to gracefully bow out of the
competition before we get too hurt.
Simply put, there are some pills we simply must take.
Now consider this…
There are times in our lives that we are used by God to
deliver the inevitable to that person, who must eventually accept reality. In
other words, sometimes we must be that agent who delivers what the recipient
will consider bad news.
Simply put, there are some pills we simply must administer.
Further consider this…
While God calls persons in positions of great responsibility
and power to administer His will, often times, we have the freedom to decide
how we will give the news, and, we must remember, the end does not always
justify the means. In other words, we know what the right decision is, but we
mustn’t think that we have the right then to dole it out as we please.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but:
As the administrator of the pill, we often decide whether or
not we give it as an oral capsule or a suppository.
We can leave a person with his or her dignity by asking them
to swallow the news down in a timely fashion, or we can just force it upon them
in an inconsiderate manner, for lack of a nicer way of putting it.
Often times, we hate being the bearer of bad new. Other
times, we rather relish the opportunity. As a Kingdom people, Christians that
must inform another about a decision that he or she will find unsavory must
allow grace to abound. This is not just a suggestion for the person who is more
than ready to deliver the news to the other who simply “deserves” the news, but
to all in positions of authority. Sometimes, we simply neglect to consider the
alternatives, and how best the medicine might be administered, and instead we
protect our own hearts over the one whose heart will really break
when the news is given.
It is like the doctor that hates telling family members when
they have lost a loved one. He simply does not think he can bear the
responsibility, so he simply and matter-of-factly blurts out the news and walks
away. Yes, it might be hard for him, but it pales in comparison to the
heartbreak of the recipients, and his news, although necessary to deliver, is
given in such a way that its delivery only adds to the pain. He should be more willing to hurt for
the sake of others, sharing in the burden of bad news by being there for the bereaved.
Sometimes the pill is simply hard to swallow, no matter how
much we care for that person to which we must give the news. However, we have
an obligation as people of the community of grace, to be as gracious as
possible. We must not be so caught up in our own concerns that we forget to
protect the heart of the other.
Never should we, wittingly or unwittingly, tell them to
“Shove it.” If you catch my drift…
