The young woman happily made her way to a seat in her church and noted that the congregation was definitely growing! She had just been asked by the choir director to sing an opening solo as the sister who usually did it had suddenly given up the position, and she had agreed. But as the church services proceeded and the morning announcements were being read which mentioned the change, she sat there in shock as the announcer, who was the former soloist, whom she knew didn’t like her, referred to her as "...Miss Thing...”!
Her so called, ‘sister-in-Christ’ had spoken into the mic and stared fixedly at her with a derogatory tone and expression. The young woman looked at the speaker and wondered, how could one who professed to be a Christian, display such an obvious resentment of her and for what reason... her God-given gift?
When she waited until they were alone after service and approached her to inquire as to…why…she had verbally lashed out at her, she was brushed off with a hypocritical…”I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
As time went on and she continued as the morning soloist, the resentful pettiness remained. She was thankful to God that the pastor and other members favored her, but even more…that her new husband was a great source of strength for her. Thus, while an obvious enemy tried to unfairly devour her, she never felt like she was by herself, for it helped to know that the numerous smiles and hugs which she received were authentic because that meant they were praying for her. However, over all she knew Jesus would always be by her side and whatever transpired she would never stand alone.
The woman did not hate her self-appointed adversary because there was something inside that would not allow her to, but she did not care for her, and she kept her distance, all the while praying to God to not have any contentions with her.
Her prayers were heard and over thirty years later, though she was now single, she found herself with the blessing of grandchildren and God having elevated her to the platform of an evangelist. She had met and overcame many other challenges in her life, personal and otherwise, and now belonged to a different church where she periodically ministered to the congregation through the Word. She was also a strong alto whom many considered to be the best in the church and having found contentment through a strong faith in Jesus, she continued to grow immensely.
So it was that on a particular Sunday morning, she watched and listened as a ‘seemingly’ Holy Ghost filled young sister allowed God to have His way with her. She continued to watch as the sister eagerly came forth and responded to the ‘invitation’ of membership. The new member was a second soprano and when she raised her voice in Praise to God, the congregation readily responded as the Holy Spirit touched throughout.
And a strange feeling filled the evangelist...a feeling she had not felt before. A ‘feeling’ that did not go away but began to rise in her. It was not a stirring from God, but a stirring full of jealous resentment towards the new member and the obvious gift God had placed in her.
It didn’t matter that the new member was very honest about her capabilities and inabilities, rather… it seemed to irk the evangelist even more.
"I can’t," the young woman confessed when asked about joining the choir, "sing with a group. And it is better for the music to follow me rather than for me to try and follow the music." She let them know that she was not a ‘seasoned’ singer, nor did she have a collection of accompaniment music as most of the songs she felt inclined to sing, she couldn’t find the music for.
The evangelist wasted no time zeroing in on the woman’s inexperience, as she anticipated that the task of ‘tearing her down’ would be easy. For, seeing that everyone in the church was unaware of the her true intentions, the new member would have no one she could turn to, and she wasn’t married. This meant that she had no personal support system in place, or so it appeared.
Thus, ‘God’s anointed’, the evangelist, proceeded to bring forth ‘messages’ from God...telling the new member all the things she wasn’t. Obvious untapped abilities were purposely and deliberately attacked and what should have been a helping hand became a claw. A claw…ripping away at the woman’s self-esteem and confidence. Why, even outspoken words of encouragement to the woman from other members were met with negative counter taunts from the evangelist.
Now, whether the evangelist understood or not what was happening to her…was not quite clear, but what was becoming quite plain to everyone else was her resentment of the new member.
However, it suffices to say that many of the aggressive negative tactics failed. Thus, though the faith of the new member continuously took a beating and her refusal to ‘hit back’ was taken for 'weakness' by the evangelist, it became apparent that she would not give up...for God, knowing and seeing all, was on her side! Indeed, she did have a defender, His name Jesus!
It was with much prayer that the new member was kept afloat time after time, and with scriptures that explained and strengthened such as Jer 5:27-31, Ps 37:3-8, Ps 34:19, Matt 5:43-48 and Rom 12:17-19…her spirit was continuously lifted.
One can only image the great astonishment of the young woman when on one Bible Study night the evangelist testified of her own past experience in another church... of being unfairly attacked by another member. She sat spellbound and could hardly believe her ears! She wondered how the minister could have 'forgotten' but yet, become so blind?! She had 'forgotten' to the point, whereby the once oppressed had become an oppressor! The very type of person that the evangelist had prayed about so many years ago, she now…was!
And it was at that moment that the new member understood so much! She had been crying out to God as to the reason He was allowing the rendered attack. Now, she had her answer; He wanted her to see what He…did not want her to become! He was showing her how easy it was for one to ‘slip’ into sinful practices, without even being aware of it! For, ‘flesh’ has always been, and will continue to be, a major downfall of so many earnest Christians…no matter their station in Christ.
Right then and there…she made two vows to God. The first being; if He gave her the strength, she would never forget, but always remember how she was oppressed. Thus, by doing so, she would never become an oppressor. And secondly; now that she knew the entire story…she would pray even more earnestly for the evangelist.
It was but two weeks later that she answered an unexpected knock on the door of her apartment one Friday evening. Peering through the peephole, she gasped and when she opened the door, she was speechless and could hardly move for…there stood the evangelist!
She and her visitor stared at each other, and it was the evangelist who broke the silence with words hardly above a whisper…
“May I come in…please?”
Still silent she opened the door wider and stood aside.
She waited as her guest entered then hurriedly closing the door, she turned to her and stammered…
“W...won’t you have a seat?”
Silence once again pervaded as she took a seat across from the minister and …waited.
“I…I am," her visitor began, "s…so, so…sorry!”
Was it the genuineness of her words…? or, perhaps the contrite spirit that surely must have surged and guided the minister to her house…which reached out to her? But then again…maybe the pure…relief…that they both must have felt at that moment…?
Whatever it was, certainly God does answer prayer! Thus, with the Power of His love, humility, and forgiveness overflowing, the dam of restraint was broken…and, almost simultaneously, the two women with tears gushing, rose and hugged one another.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry…!” The minister continued to sob. “I, I... f…forgot!!!! I truly, truly forgot!!!!
The young woman hastened to a nearby table and retrieved a box of tissues. As they both returned to their seats, the minister went on…
“You see,” she began, “this…this was my own doing!”
“I don’t understand.”
“You heard my testimony at Bible Study?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“There was more to it,” she wiped her eyes, “I never forgave her…until now.”
“Never?”
“Never! And just to think…that was over 30 years ago…and I never forgave her!” She leaned back with a heavy sigh. “She was wrong, dead wrong and…that’s all I knew.” She reached for more tissues then went on…
“However, sometimes… sometimes we really don’t understand what the other person was going through or what they were feeling when they erred…until we walk in their shoes. We think they’ve committed the worst most unforgivable offense in the world, without realizing that the unforgiveness we’re harboring against them is far greater.”
“But God was teaching me a lesson, and ever since that night when, out-of-the-blue, God brought the memory of that back to me…I began to be plagued…by my conscience!” She stared at her host, “of course you know it was His Holy Spirit.”
A smile played on the young woman’s face as she nodded.
“It just wouldn’t let me rest…God, He was convicting me! Then, I began to understand that, for a short while(Is 54:5-8), because of the unforgiveness I refused to let go of, He allowed me to feel what she was feeling!
He withdrew His covering, and I walked in her shoes……I felt jealousy! On the Sunday that you joined, the congregation responded to your singing like they had never responded to mine, and I resented it. Can you imagine…?! Your voice…a gift from God, and I was angry about it!” She covered her face with both hands….as she cried out aloud, “forgive me! Forgive me!....please, forgive me!”
The young woman went to her and knelt…gently pulling her hands away from her face.
“I forgave you a long time ago," she whispered, "and not only that…I’ve been praying for you!”
Then an even greater revelation dawned…the minister looked around and then back at her…”So that’s why I’m here!”
“Yes!”
This time when they embraced laughter was mingled with their tears.
“Look at God!” The minister exclaimed. I completely forgot about praying for my enemies…I confess that I have never once prayed for her! I prayed that God would keep her away from me, but never 'for' her. And, as to, ‘… the strong bearing the infirmities of the weak…’, that was not even considered! After I tried to approach her and she brushed me off…that was it for me. I avoided her, but inwardly…I held on to that grudge. When…,” she took the young woman’s hands in hers, “I should have done what you did…and earnestly prayed for her.”
“Well”, the young woman replied, “that’s why He gave us the sweet gifts of Mercy and Grace. He sees what’s really in our hearts and He loves us way too much to not correct us, no matter how long it takes.”
She gave her guest a wide grin and stood, “Now, can I offer you a beverage or something else…?”
“Just,” she responded as she too rose and walked to the open window, “a cold glass of water, thank you dear.”
As the young woman went towards the kitchen, the evangelist stood there staring reflectively then, speaking more to herself than to her host…
”God allowed me to trade places with my accoster…that’s exactly what He did! He allowed me to trade places so that I could realize, ‘…we all sin and come short of the Glory God…’, thus ‘…none can boast…’, but,” she turned as her host returned with the water, “if we confess our sins, He will forgive us.”
“Amen and hallelujah”! her host overwhelmingly agreed.
When she departed a little while later, there was the beginnings of a lasting friendship…with neither one of them ever forgetting her lesson of…Trading Places.
THE END
Is 54:7-8, Rom 3:23 & 12:9 & 15:1-3, Eph 2:8-9, 1st Jhn 1:8-9
(c)jmsbell-10/30/2011
