Still seething about a minor injustice, I put aside what I was doing to listen to Art read Ephesians 4. This was now the third evening in a row he read it. The last two times, I listened, but only scraps and bits stuck in my memory. In the evening, we have a family devotions time and it includes a Bible game where Art will begin reading a random passage of scripture. The rest of the family will call out guesses to what book it’s from. This week he kept calling out passages from Eph. 4, and even though he’d just read us the chapter, the kids were calling out “Ephesians” before it clicked in my mind that I had just heard this passage.
But on this one night, after boiling in fury, I was stung by Ephesians 4. I was jolted into shame and humility by Ephesians 4. (Boil, sting, jolt: How are those for mixed metaphors?) Walk worthy of your calling, with all lowliness and meekness, it said to me. I was not lowly or meek. I was incensed. This blog commenter had insulted me. He’d deliberately misrepresented what I’d said on the blog I was visiting. I had thought of all kinds of replies. Verbal slaps. Clever rejoinders. Biting wit complete with sharp teeth. Not many of my imagined replies were lowly or meek.
I was not doing much to keep the unity of spirit, and I was openly hostile to the bond of peace. I was not speaking the truth in love. I was quite sure I was speaking the truth, but rather than love, I was planning on speaking it in a sly, cutting, put-down kind of way. Ephesians 4 said no. Nuh-uh.
And what was this about the Vanity of your mind? That was one of the few Eph. 4 phrases that stuck: Don’t walk as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their minds. Well, here I was walking in the vanity of my mind. What else would you call trying to come up with a clever, sophisticated retort?
Put off the behavior of the old man and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Zing. Be renewed. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.
Be renewed in the spirit of my mind? Well, the spirit of my mind at that moment was a pretty dark and angry spirit, absolutely ripe for renewal. Don’t let any corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. And that probably refers to fingertips on keyboards as well. Ugh. Ephesians 4, don’t you ever let up? I was just about to come crashing down on this self-righteous blog commenter and show him a thing or two! Uggh. Ephesians 4, Why now?
No corrupt communications out of your mouth, but only that which builds up, which ministers grace to the hearers. Grace? This guy just insulted me! Grace? Now? At this moment? Right when I’m about to let the verbal hammer drop? Arrrgh. Ephesians 4!
And it went on! Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Let all bitterness, anger, clamor, wrath and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. But couldn’t I keep just a little malice? Just enough to drive home my point? Arrgh. Ephesians 4!
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Ouch. Sting. Bite.
Needless to say, I never did reply to that commenter, and my interest in the blog itself somehow faded. I had to work on being renewed. Before that could happen I had to let the words of Ephesians 4 pummel me, lay me flat and do to me pretty much what I’d hoped to do to the blog commenter. Ugh. You can’t develop humility without a little humiliation. But you can’t get to the renewing of your mind part without humility.
When Art reads Eph. 4 tonight, I hope I’ll let it sink in nice and deep this time because I have a feeling I’m going to need it again soon.
But on this one night, after boiling in fury, I was stung by Ephesians 4. I was jolted into shame and humility by Ephesians 4. (Boil, sting, jolt: How are those for mixed metaphors?) Walk worthy of your calling, with all lowliness and meekness, it said to me. I was not lowly or meek. I was incensed. This blog commenter had insulted me. He’d deliberately misrepresented what I’d said on the blog I was visiting. I had thought of all kinds of replies. Verbal slaps. Clever rejoinders. Biting wit complete with sharp teeth. Not many of my imagined replies were lowly or meek.
I was not doing much to keep the unity of spirit, and I was openly hostile to the bond of peace. I was not speaking the truth in love. I was quite sure I was speaking the truth, but rather than love, I was planning on speaking it in a sly, cutting, put-down kind of way. Ephesians 4 said no. Nuh-uh.
And what was this about the Vanity of your mind? That was one of the few Eph. 4 phrases that stuck: Don’t walk as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their minds. Well, here I was walking in the vanity of my mind. What else would you call trying to come up with a clever, sophisticated retort?
Put off the behavior of the old man and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Zing. Be renewed. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.
Be renewed in the spirit of my mind? Well, the spirit of my mind at that moment was a pretty dark and angry spirit, absolutely ripe for renewal. Don’t let any corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. And that probably refers to fingertips on keyboards as well. Ugh. Ephesians 4, don’t you ever let up? I was just about to come crashing down on this self-righteous blog commenter and show him a thing or two! Uggh. Ephesians 4, Why now?
No corrupt communications out of your mouth, but only that which builds up, which ministers grace to the hearers. Grace? This guy just insulted me! Grace? Now? At this moment? Right when I’m about to let the verbal hammer drop? Arrrgh. Ephesians 4!
And it went on! Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Let all bitterness, anger, clamor, wrath and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. But couldn’t I keep just a little malice? Just enough to drive home my point? Arrgh. Ephesians 4!
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Ouch. Sting. Bite.
Needless to say, I never did reply to that commenter, and my interest in the blog itself somehow faded. I had to work on being renewed. Before that could happen I had to let the words of Ephesians 4 pummel me, lay me flat and do to me pretty much what I’d hoped to do to the blog commenter. Ugh. You can’t develop humility without a little humiliation. But you can’t get to the renewing of your mind part without humility.
When Art reads Eph. 4 tonight, I hope I’ll let it sink in nice and deep this time because I have a feeling I’m going to need it again soon.
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