Fly Above…
30 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
Yesterday my character was attacked in a very public way. Everything in me wanted to retaliate, but the words of some very special friends and family reminded me of who I was. They reminded me that every Christian has experienced or will experience some type of personal attack. It could be an attack on character, conduct, motives, decisions or abilities, it all can be very hurtful, but we must rise above those attacks in order to survive and remain faithful to His calling. My response to those words on the screen could reflect who I am or who I was, the choice was totally up to me. I chose to just let it go, to not even respond and then I prayed about it. I asked God to show me the lesson in this, because there had to be one. As I got up from the altar I felt a relief because I knew if He would take me to it, He would get me through it.
As I sit here and type this I lean on the strength of great leaders who’ve been in the same situations. Through their ability to let the matter end there, to just let it go and rest in the fact that an unmerited response might simply make matters worse I was able to gain perspective and move forward. I have to admit that I was ANGRY but after the anger subsided, I remembered something I had read somewhere that when attacks come your way, consider these ideas:
- View attacks as a call to prayer
I remembered that God invites me to cast all my cares on Him and to present my worries to Him in prayer, then I come to Him as one who is weary and burdened and find rest in His presence. I had to remember that this fight wasn’t mine, that God had my back and in the end He would still get ALL the glory. He was working this thing out, that this attack was actually building my character and not tearing it down. My response to it all either proved those mean, hateful words true or not.
- Look for any truth in what was said
In my prayer I asked the Lord to show me how to be honest with myself and to consider the possibility that they may be right somewhere in their bitter, violent attack against me. While I was preparing a rebuttal, the Lord slowed me down long enough to search out some truth in those words He did not want me to miss.
- Refuse to consider anyone your enemy
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. The Lord leaves no room for us to accumulate enemies. Even if those who intentionally try to cause trouble regard us as their enemy, we must refuse to reciprocate.
- Resist taking the matter into the public eye
I could have retaliated and blasted the perpetrator from here to kingdom come, but I didn’t, what would that prove. All eyes were/are on me to see if I was going to walk out all the changes I have claimed to be going through. I had the opportunity to be a walking, talking bible for someone last night. So, I sit here today hoping that this post helps someone going through the same thing. Be the light, I did and I feel better for it.
- Maintain a balanced perspective on the size of the problem
There will be times when the problem is bigger than we think. Until you know that to be true, treat the criticisms and attacks as isolated incidents that need to addressing. Don’t treat them as major crises that demand the suspension of everything else you are doing until you can resolve them. Its not about me, I had to let the light shine to ensure that my actions didn’t taint the lesson. God got the GLORY any how.
When all was said and done I learned that people needed to see that it is possible to take direct hits and still maintain a positive testimony for Christ. The way I responded reflected the way I am growing in Christ. The way I handled this attack on my character demonstrated how much I am conforming to the image of Christ. Now that is growth because there have been times I did respond badly when attacks seem unrelenting, merciless, and unjustified, just like this one. But getting knocked off balance didn’t mean that I should or would repeat those mistakes every time I came under fire. Paul tells us to rejoice always. When hard times come, let nothing steal your joy as you devote yourself to “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1, NASB).
I want to leave you with the words of Kandi Burress, she has a song called Fly Above and one verse really stuck with me last night… “I’m like a jet airplane, way too high to hear you throwing salt on my name. I know I’m not the only one if people love to hate you, go and throw your hands up, go ahead and spread your wings cuz you gotta fly above.” Fly above all the drama because its beneath you. Life is richer because of what we learn through our trials. There are many benefits gained after we open ourselves up to the things God wants to teach us when we are humble enough to listen and learn.
