Proverbs 15:1 NIV
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
In May of 2002, I was twelve years old and in the 6th grade, living, or as I thought, “surviving” in New Castle, CO. I had no friends and not much to look forward to besides movies. However, I was excited about going with my youth group down to Denver to go to an Acquire the Fire conference.
While I dreaded the drive down, the socialization and everything that goes along with a youth retreat, I was excited about the worship music, the speakers, and the chance to go to the big city, since I still missed the sights and sounds of West Monroe, LA, my hometown, a place at the time, I thought was a metropolis. 🙂
As with every youth retreat, camp, or conference, there is always sufficient down-time to go to a fast food restaurant and have everyone cram the whole place up. So, on one afternoon of the three-day ATF conference, my youth group and I hit up a local Burger King near the Denver Coliseum where Acquire the Fire was being held.
I walked in joyfully as Burger King was one of the things I missed the most from living in Louisiana.
After I ordered though and went walking towards the bathroom, I realized my youth group and I were not the only ones there at the restaurant.
I turned around and saw a group of young black kids, bickering amongst themselves, saying such things as…
“You shut up!”
“No, you shut up!”
“No, you shut up!”
Having little conflict experience, but at the same thing feeling bold, I said something I would soon regret.
“Personally, I think ALL of you need to shut up.”
It did not take more than two seconds for that whole group of five black kids, with their very short and “fearless” leader, to meet me by the front entrance.
Frightened, I stood frozen in my steps as the kids blocked the entryway, and watched as their “leader” came up to meet me, and in his Michael Jackson/Chris Tucker-esque voice, say…
“You tell me to shut up?”
It was at that moment, when I could not respond, that my youth leader suddenly reappeared, pulled me aside, and said, “Don’t you ever do anything like that again.”
Needless to say, I’m still alive. I did not fall victim to violence of any kind from those kids, nor did I cause any myself, or say anything else foolish.
Yet, though I remember almost nothing about the conference, I do remember my foolishness that day, and what I can learn from it now.
Ever since Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the Garden, sin has run rampant and life has been burdensome for everyone on earth. We all face trials, temptations, pain, and we all must work to make sure our basic needs are met.
That being said, though there are great and pressing issues in our world, our enemy, Satan, the Devil, is always working to cause more dissent and destruction.
He wants us to fight with our families.
He wants us to fight with our friends.
He wants us to use our moral and political beliefs to make sure those who believe differently than us feel condemned and desire to change to meet “our” standards.
While Jesus wants us to fight for what’s right, to advocate for those need help, serve the orphans and widows, there are times I think, when He desires us to honor Him by doing something much more simple.
To deny ourselves the need to share our opinion, the need to say that “I’m right,” and just sit back and listen: to our loved ones, to our co-workers, classmates, and everyone else we encounter.
For while we are called to go forth and share the Gospel with everyone on Earth, for those whose hearts are as hard as stone, letting Jesus shine in our words, and even in our silences, will allow God to work through us, and lead others to Him.
So, instead of getting on social media, instead of commenting on every news story or every presidential “tweet”, allow Jesus to shine through you, and go out into this world and love everyone with the incomparable love of Jesus.
Until Next Time,
Jacob McGowen
The Adventures of A Warrior 