As we walked down the streets of Patong beach, I had a few options of how I could have reacted.
Option 1.
I could have been filled with anger because of what is going on down there, threw some fists, shook some people down, let people know how angry I was, give people a look of disgust and then justified it by calling it righteous anger and then reference the story in the bible where Jesus turns over tables
Option 2.
I could have been filled with sorrow, I could cry as I walk by every person, and want to comfort him or her by giving them a big hug.
Option 3.
I could even ignore it. Go with the idea that if I don’t acknowledge that it is there, then it must not be there. Go into a shell, hide all of feelings of good or bad and block it out
Orrrr I could so something else. I could go down that street in prayer, with a heart full of love for the people that are down on that street. To assume the best in all people and to love them right where they are. That seems to be what Jesus did and he is the role model of role models.
Whether he was talking to a woman at a well or getting nailed to a cross, Jesus showered people with love. He didn’t ask people to change; he loved them for who they were, right where they were.
I think it is our job to do the same thing. If I went down the streets and resorted to options 1-3, I wouldn’t be doing anything productive.
But what if…
What if we tried to reach the heart of the people? What if we smiled, cared, and loved the prostitutes, and the men buying and selling these women. What if we loved them authentically?
Think about the people you care about the most and the people who have made the most impact in your life. Do appreciate and admire them because they shot you with harsh words at you? Or did they get to know you? Did they earn that right to be heard in your life?
Now I know that there some exceptions and that there may be times to actually use options 1-3, but ask yourself the question, does anger or love motivate me more? And why?
I’m not saying that justice does not need to be served, and it will be eventually. But I am saying that letting your anger lead our decisions and thinking that you are just in doing so, is destructive. And I wouldn’t recommend it.
