Defense, self-confidence, and retaliation

Easter was a couple weeks ago, and happy Easter to all! Jesus rose up from the grave, and conquered sin and death. Leading up to Easter, in the previous couple of weeks, God showed me something about defending yourself that connects very well with the Easter story. See I get a lot of verbal abuse from a coworker, and from a few people at school. As a man of God I've been asking this question of him: how do I appropriately defend myself, and still be an ambassador of Christ? This is a tricky situation that today's culture has only made more confusing by the day. But defending yourself can mean two things. One, that you are standing up for your beliefs, and two, that you are standing up for who you are. I believe Jesus wants us to tackle each part a little differently, and he provides excellent examples in scripture for us to point to. The first part-standing up for your beliefs. In today's culture especially it's important that you know how to do this, because Jesus doesn't compromise. He never once compromised his beliefs to avoid "offending" someone. Yet he didn't throw it in their face either. Jesus showed us, in the way he approached the disciples, followers, religious leaders of the day, and the countless sinners and broken he encountered how to be solid in your beliefs, yet show his love. Jesus calls us to love, and to love like he does. This is the first key, if you are saying anything but love-it's not coming from a Christ-centered standpoint. Even as he was convicting people, and telling them to turn back to God, you always could see Jesus's love in it. This is best shown in the tears Jesus had overlooking Jerusalem going into the last week of his life. He loved them so dearly, and just wanted them to see God. See Jesus never once compromised, he stood for something radical, but he never stopped loving, and that proves the difference in defending your beliefs and forcing them onto someone. Take your defense from a standpoint of love, and you may get a better response. If you don't know how to Jesus ask him to show you HIS love, and it'll come naturally.

The next part is, surprisingly, easier. Defending yourself is clearly answered in the bible-and by Jesus himself. Go back to the Sunday before Easter. Jesus rides triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey, talk of rebellion is in the air, and he is hailed as King. Fast foreward 6 days. Same road, same people, but this time Jesus is walking, and he's carrying a cross. After hours of brutal whipping, being falsely accused, and condemned to die. This time the people aren't hailing him as King, they're throwing rocks, jeering, laughing, looking for blood. Now I know I haven't experienced this level of attack on my personal character, and nobody has been God then been shouted at that you weren't-even when a week earlier they said you were. Jesus faced a personal attack unlike any of us has ever seen. Not only was he facing one of, if not the, most brutal death in history, but the same people he came down to show himself as God to-didn't  believe him. Yet Jesus never shouted back. Never threw down the cross in anger and stormed off, never cursed them-or ran at them to hit them. Jesus didn't even plan little death scenarios and create certain little lakes of fire for them to go to!(Even though it was very possible). No, Jesus silently went on, and I can imagine him praying all the way to the hill. All the way until he was hanged, and all the way until he said "it is finished". Now none of us have the strength to do this-Jesus was in fact God, except for one particular thing. The same night Jesus was arrested-he was desperately praying in a garden, asking God for the strength to do this. Jesus relied on God to not retaliate, even as the crowd told him to get off the cross if he was really God. See Jesus tells us to love, and emulate him, and I've never seen a more God centered-love filled approach to dealing with a personal attack. But how does this connect? See when someone attacks me, I just move on, without responding, for a very big reason. First of all I don't want to inflame the situation. Second of all I know whatever anger they possess is not toward me, but the result of something deeper in their heart. Thirdly, I don't have to let their voice define my life. Only Jesus does that. So whatever insult, angry word, or attack they do does nothing to me. To quote Taylor Swift "just shake it off". Yes I realize I just quoted Taylor Swift, but she makes a good point. But to quote someone much much wiser,  here's a verse from Proverbs that could have been my whole post. 

“Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.”

Proverbs 20:22 NIV

So maybe, next time someone attacks you-ask God to show you his love for them, and look deeper. Know that you can follow the words of Solomon, and wait for the Lord to "avenge" you. That you're identity is in Jesus, not what someone else says about you. Now go and love like Jesus did.