Many years ago I worked for a total dufus. At least that was my take on him, and I was really disillusioned about it. It effected how I felt about my job, my future at the company, and over time began to erode my motivations and work ethic and life in general. The guy had said all kinds of things in my interview process to convince me that he was a team-player, his heart was in the right place, and that his working philosophy was in-line with mine. What I found over time was that he was not who he said he was…and I was stuck. I really liked the position, the way the job fit the current needs of me and my family, and truly enjoyed the people I was working with. But my boss was an idiot.
I can’t tell you how many times I anguished & struggled inwardly because of stupid things he said, cowardly decisions he made, or boastful proclamations that made me sick to my stomach. Essentially, he was an ego-maniac who manipulated people around him to stoke the unquenchable fire of self-aggrandizement that blazed within him. He knew how to say nice things to people he wanted something from, but he was an absolute ass to people living in the margins…the poor, the weak, the unattractive, the disabled, the socially awkward, etc. It was difficult for me because his persona reflected upon me as well…I was his assistant. Initially, I chaffed and argued with him a lot, reminding him of the things he promised and that we had agreed about with each other. Over time, however, I came to the conclusion that he was who he was and that I wasn’t going to change him. I thought about leaving, but I decided to stay…and I’m glad I did because I learned 2 extremely valuable life-lessons working with him, which have stuck with me all these years and served me well.
The first lesson I learned was that, if my boss really truly was a jerk, that God knew about it too…and that He was more than able to take care of it. After accepting that it was not my job to change my boss, I remembered who my real Master was…and that it is His responsibility to avenge wrongdoing. I meditated & practiced conscientious-detachment with my boss for several years, and was able to flourish under his leadership because God was at work in me. I learned to release whatever rights I thought I had to judge him, deciding that I could trust God with and concentrate on being faithful to my own responsibilities.
The other thing I learned is that I am, as well, a complete idiot! As I matured through my process of surrendering my judgements to God, my heart was softened as a result. As my indignation washed-away over time, it was replaced by a more divine view of my boss and myself. I found that the one I vilified was not nearly as evil & stupid as I had thought, and my heart softened toward him. I also was able to recognize my own shortcomings…which are many. It’s amazing what God can do with us when we’re not obsessed with other peoples’ issues.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)
Jesus said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)
7 replies on “Plank Eye”
Well said! This is a poignant, humbling, and authentically well-written post. I concur with your assessment, point of view, and self-reflection. I have walked in similar shoes and come to the same conclusions… more times than I can count or care to admit. I'm thankful that God never gives up on me because I'm tempted to give up on myself multiple times per day. One of the verses I've been reminding myself of lately is from Job 1:21 — "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
Thanks for the words and verse, Mike!
Mike and Shawn, would you be on board with the idea that God doesn't allow or cause anything to come into the lives of we who love Him and are the called according to His purpose, that isn't for our good? And by good, I mean our immediate and/or ultimate good.
A familiar verse regarding this would be Romans 8:28 which reads, "And we know that God works all things together for good to them that love Him, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Interesting the way you worded that question…I would say no to the "allow" part and yes to the "cause" part. He is not the author or causer of pain/suffering/evil in this broken world….but He does allow them. He has limited His own sovereignty in that way. However, He is always at work with plans to use them for the good of those who love Him/the called. If I get in a car accident and die, and good comes from it, that doesn't make it a good thing or that it was good for me.
Am I hearing you say that God is not limited, but by giving him choice, man can limit God. For instance, God is not willing that ANY should perish, it's His Will that ALL would be saved. But, because of man's choice, many will not be saved and a part of His Will will not take place. This precludes the usual thoughts about God knowing how everyone will choose, predestination, election etc.
Totally different question, what has to take place first before we can make disciples?
BTW, I do have an intended purpose for these questions and it involves recognizing some new learning opportunities that will enable the unsaved individual to meet Jesus, become His follower and participate as a productive part of the Body of Christ. In turn, those new disciples of Jesus will introduce Him to others who will become His followers and they will do the same etc.
Last question, do you have any statistics that show how many believers, within the last 5 or ten or however many years, have ever verbally shared the gospel with an unbeliever and/or 'led' them to Christ? This includes those who have become friends with the unsaved, not church friends, through the purposeful building of relationships. The Church has been doing much better with emphasizing the relationship thing but I'd say 'poorly' about verbally sharing the Gospel, knowing that it is the power of God unto salvation? Do I (we) truly believe that within the Gospel, there is enough power to overcome my fear of what people might think, that I might be persecuted, made fun of, or saying that, "I can't because of sin in my life?" We don't have to ask if it's God's Will for believers to 'preach' the Gospel of His Grace, He's made that very clear in His Word, it's at the very heart of the Gospel. People can't be true followers of Jesus until they know Him as Savior!
I also wonder how many unbelievers would simply say, "I've never been asked." If I recall, one of the chief sales principles in business that's been around for a long time is to, "Ask the customer for their business."
Again, thx for listening and responding.
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Yes, I do agree. I don't believe that God would just allow 'good' to come into our lives. If He did, how would we learn, grow, and mature. I can recall more adversity than blessing… which doesn't mean it's fact because I'm sure that I've been blessed more than I deserve or can even remember. Scripture is easy to take at 'face value', but I don't think that that is its intent.