From time-to-time, I experience the slightest sensation of self-pity.
That's sarcasm, a really thick layer of it.Papa Bear and I have a wonderful life, and I have very little, if any, regret for sticking with him. But I do, on occasion, wonder why God put me in Papa Bear's story, instead of the other way around. At least that's how it seems at times. I like to think that God gave me to my husband as a rare gift, but that self exaltation often leads me to thinking of myself, and the exciting plans I had as a girl. And I think, "Hey God, why didn't you care about me enough to plan
my story?"
I believe, or I have believed, that God gave me a special heart, one capable of forgiving the unforgivable in an extraordinary way. But today, and thanks to the
Jesus Storybook Bible, I am humbled. My eyes are wholeheartedly removed from
my story, and they are firmly placed on His.
The story in Second Kings chapter five is Naaman's, right? It is the story of how Naaman was healed. It is the story of how a stubborn, prideful man was healed by
bathing in a dirty river his obedience to God. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything very beautiful or miraculous in that story. That is, not until today.
There are many unnamed people in the Bible.
Have you ever felt like one of the unnamed?In Naaman's story, there is an unnamed slave girl, a girl who is, in my newly enlightened opinion, far more important than Naaman. Her forgiveness is an example for the ages.
For a brief moment, think about the one person who has done you the most harm, physically or emotionally, in your whole life.
Wow, that didn't take you very long.Now, imagine that this person developed a tragically mutated case of H1N1. They're in the hospital, packed in ice with a Old World style fever.
What are you thinking right now?Perhaps you are softening a little bit, picturing them lying there like that. Or maybe, just maybe, you are
imagining that their
imaginary illness is a result of their horrible behavior. Christian. Karma. Take that.
The slave girl in Naaman's story had just that opportunity. And this precious young girl was not being faced with an insincere husband or a thieving business partner. Do you think that she attributed Naaman's leprosy to the fact that he, more than likely, was responsible for
wiping out her entire family and taking her as his slave? Do you think she took some pleasure in his suffering?
Because she was a human being, albeit unnamed, I imagine that she did. But whatever unforgiving thoughts she had, she
must have given them to God. Because she arranged for her enemy's healing.
I wrote a post awhile back about
exercising the mind. I have recently heard this step-by-step referred to as
practicing forgetting. And I believe we have
the power to dwell only on the thoughts that are from God for the benefit of our souls. But if we truly want to take part in God's story, I think we need to take it a step further than that.
We need to voluntarily pick up our crosses, instead of having them thrust upon us. We need to think less of ourselves, no matter what the circumstance, than we do of others.
We need to arrange for our enemies' healing.