Brett's Discernment

One of my sweetest, most mature students has come to me repeatedly this past week very frustrated. Her problem: She tries her hardest to be a responsible, giving friend and peer to those around her, and does not see it reciprocated. Our conversations as well as those as with other relationships in my life got me thinking - sometimes the challenge with the "golden" rule is that it can be that the "others" do not want or outright reject you for what you feel is your giving treatment of them. I was thinking and praying over this and these relationships and thinking of interactions in general, when I returned to the text from Luke 6:

27 "But I (Jesus!) say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. ^F55 Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

It can be a painful lesson to keep going and offer the other cheek and keep going. I find it interesting and relevant to these relationships now in this reading though that it is give what they ask for . . . or later in the verses just to do your best and give of yourself whatever you can, without judging a person or trying to evaluate (without having their true perspective) what their needs are. I often return in my thoughts to verse 35 - but only the first part - I am assured of the reward, the second part, and it is not what I strive for. This is not a give and take (action/reward) to me, but a emotional, intellectual, and behavioral perspective by which I can more deeply walk with Christ. It is hard as well to expect nothing in return, and I suppose after writing all this that is eventually what I, my student, and we all struggle with, and I have written at length in the past.
She, my student, is so good and helpful to her friends and peers, only to have them forget about her or not consider/involve her later. Which makes me think even all the more, how much more is Christ's sacrifice and God's grace - when we feel such injury from doing good and then being spurned with trivial little daily human things, and yet we walk far away from God in sin and DAILY most of us do not give our faith relationship the nourishment that it needs . . . Do to others as we would have them do to us. We "would have" God grant us the grace, mercy, and forgiveness and continual everlasting life . . . Yet what do we do to God to reflect that gift? I suppose that out of that question comes the vocation of our lives, big picture and little, daily actions and life paths.

Side note - we were reading (in Matthew) this passage this week . . . and I'm sure that some have lived much more extreme examples, but I think teaching has given me a lot of real perspective on the first part of this passage - Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
There are some students (some I have taught for 3 years now) who, at best, do no good to me but curse me. But in the end they have taught me how hard this is, and to truly pray for them in earnest, and turn the other cheek and bless them. So in the end they have done me good, I suppose. My first year of teaching it was a daily challenge to forgive them and I would say I did very poorly at it, often going into classes still irritated at past behaviors and hence not able to be calm or adult enough to move past it. But God is good, and he grants us the strength to grow through him if we work on it and ask. Some of my relationships with these students have quite evolved . . .

I pray for many things and people this week. . . I also pray with great hope that next week will be better.
I am very tired as I write this so I do not know how coherent it is, apologies.

Peace and love in Christ

Labels: faith, golden rule, vocation