KENYA
| Bungoma
Recently
Tim let me read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. It is a powerful
book about living in and cherishing the body of believers. In one of
the chapters it discusses injustice done in a faith family or even in
the world. I am a big fan of justice. I like it when things make
sense, when they are logical. When justice is served to the person
that deserved it. In the past I have even struggled with jumping to
be the victim when I know that injustice has been served to me. God
has been trying to break those walls of offense for years. But the
final blow to these crumbling walls was when I read this section of
Bonhoeffer’s book.
Firstly
He wrote, “What does it matter if I suffer injustice? Would I
not have deserved even worse punishment from God?”. WOW! Low
blow, right? Because I am a sinner, I deserve death, so my petty
injustices that I have to deal with will never compare. How can I
even speak on my behalf when I know I deserve more.
It
is similar to the parable in Matthew about the Unforgiving Servant.
A master has a servant that owes him A LOT of money, and is therefore
going to punish him, but his servant begs for forgiveness and the his
master forgives him of his entire debt. The servant then goes home
and one of his fellow servants who owes him a small amount of money
comes by and he chastises him and tells him he must pay. His fellow
servant begs for forgiveness but the first servant throws him in
jail.
Do
I not do this on a regular basis. Do I not from my place of injustice
demand justice from others. Did not the Father of Nations forgive me
of my injustices that I do to him, can I not forgive or bear with the
injustices that are served to me?
Bonhoeffer
goes on to say, “Must it not be wholesome and conducive to
humility for me to learn to bear such petty evils silently and
patiently”. Bearing with other’s injustices is a testimony to
those around us. To the world, it is just and right for any man to
fight for justice. To claim what is right. But we are no longer of
this world. Our flesh has died and we have been made into new
creations. Isaiah 60 calls us to “arise and shine” in the
darkness. And when your light shines, God’s glory will be seen upon
you and the nations will gather to you. It is then that your heart
will “tremble and grow wide,” or be full. It is not from
serving justice for ourselves that we will receive joy and feel full
in spirit but when we bear other’s burdens and act in humility instead
of pride. When we forgive instead of wallow in our injustices.
We
must understand that this whole “christianity” thing is
more than a prayer and a category for something that distinguishes
people. It is a complete 180 life change. It is a process of thinking
differently then how we have always allowed our thoughts to wander,
it is about a different priority system based on humility, love, and
grace instead of pride, comparison, and self. So what are you doing
in your life looking to serve justice on your behalf or looking to
hand out grace?
