Unnecessary scars

A hot tempered man stirs up strife; but he who is slow to anger quiets contention
- Proverbs 15:18


I recently had two young men accuse me of not responding to several issues, right away. The accusations were said in such a way that it made me out to be a coward.
In their mind, it would of been far better to deal with the issues immediately rather then to wait and let time pass. My hesitancy portrayed me as a frightened and confused leader. "I don't know how you deal with things, but I like to take care of stuff right away, he said to me angrily. True that! Ten years ago, I would have echoed the same sentiment, and would have reacted the same way as well.

I remember years ago my Pastor saying that it was far better to act rather than to react. Another words, he was instructing us how to avoid unnecessary muck.

So how do we accomplish this? By first praying and allowing time for you and the situation to cool off. During this period of cool down, God will begin to minister to your heart and reveal to you any sin that needs confessed on your part before proceeding. This will also bring clarity to the problem. Finally, humlity is absoluelty necessary, even if it makes you look weak.

I once shared with a loved one about a certain friend of mine whom I considered very meek. She commented back by telling me that often times meek people are weak people. I responded by saying, "Well, if that were the case, Jesus was a very weak individual then because He was the meekest man of all!

Nothing more was said.

If I would have reacted pridefully to the presuppositions of my accusers, the devil would have won. Instead, for starters, I quoted James 1:20 "For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God". (I admit I was anger as well)
Then, James 1:19 "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger."

Needless to say, these two verses alone justified the two weeks it took me to respond. They also silenced the Enemy, seared the tongue of these two Black Mamba spitting youngster types, and allowed me to walk away as the one who really was in charge of the situation.

This is what being obedient to the Word looks like.

Sometimes, the road to obedience produces unnecessary scars. If you don't believe me, just ask Jesus.