He is Risen. The women at the tomb weren't believed. Other followers of Christ ran to the tomb to see with their own eyes. He is Risen. Thomas doubted but so did the others. Help me with my unbelief, He is risen. The glad tidings of Easter Morning is not that Christ was crucified but the new that He is Risen. I know people that mock and make fun of my belief. In high school I totally changed my friends because they told me I was not Christian. I was not nice and go along with them to keep the peace. I walked away sorrowing that they could not accept that I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior. I wished no harm to them but I would not give up on my belief that Jesus Christ is my Savior and HE IS RISEN.
Core to my survival is my belief in Christ. I don't talk about it often not because of my lack of belief but my profound understanding that not everyone has the same belief as I do. I am painfully aware of religious abuse. I know that some people use Christ and the followers beliefs to manipulate and control another person. However, times such as Easter I share that I know Jesus Lives not because I saw Him with my own eyes but because I felt Him with my heart. I felt Him in my darkest hours, I was not alone. I felt Him when I feared greatly, I was not alone. I felt Him when I was failing, I was not alone. Above all else this one truth stayed with me Jesus Christ heals sinners and survivors. His healing is not limited to physical infirmities but to all suffering. He knows what it feels like to suffer.
My counselor once asked me why I believe Christ needed to suffer in Gethsemane. My answer was simple, "So He would know where to find me in my suffering. I could never say Christ doesn't understand how I feel." Being a follower of Christ does not prevent suffer for He taught, "Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted."
Friend of a friend shared this and I really love it:
" I WISH I HAD UNDERSTOOD THIS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER> HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE> GREAT ARTICLE<
Are we not commanded to be kind, loving, and nice?
The first two? Yes. “Nice?” No. Jesus was never nice. Jesus was kind. There’s a big difference. Being nice is about not wanting to upset people or ruffle any feathers. Christ didn’t care about that. He had zero problem with upsetting people. That’s because He was kind. Kind people don’t want to hurt others, but they will speak the truth with boldness and love. Kind people care about the welfare of those around them. Kind people draw healthy boundaries because that’s good for everybody. The Lord upset plenty of people, but that’s not because He was mean. It’s because He was kind, direct, and honest.
Culturally we tend to misunderstand the Lord’s teaching that “the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil. We mistake conflict for contention. Contention is a heated disagreement. It involves anger and can escalate into malice and hatred. Conflict, on the other hand, is unavoidable as we navigate our differences or stand for the right. In trying to follow our Savior, we may erroneously become something that He never was: conflict-avoidant. There was perpetual conflict between Him and the scribes and the Pharisees. Did He back down? He did not. There is conflict today between the ways of the world and the ways of the gospel. There’s conflict between our will and God’s will. He doesn’t avoid any of it. Christ didn’t yield to the spirit of contention, but that doesn’t mean He avoided conflict when it was a battle worth fighting. His teachings to “turn the other cheek,” “go the extra mile,” and “love your enemy” are designed to keep us from returning evil with evil, anger with anger, hate for hate, and force for force. They’re to keep our hearts full of love for all and create in us a giving spirit. He practiced that. But He still boldly drew boundaries and spoke His mind. He still does today. “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him ”Mathew 5:5 This scripture is often used as an excuse to be conflict-avoidant, which too often leads to passive-aggressive behavior as we cope with negative feelings from unresolved conflict. Fact is, the Lord didn’t mean for us to agree with anything that was wrong or that we actually disagree with. That would be dishonest. Check the footnote on that scripture. “Agree” here is a translation of a Greek word that means “quickly have kind thoughts for or be well disposed toward.”
At work, with your family, and elsewhere, following Christ allows and even requires us to draw healthy boundaries to establish what we will and won’t do for others, as well as establish expectations for mutual respect. In cases where others don’t respect our boundaries, we can show kindness and love. We can let go of anger and bitterness. But we don’t need to let them be close to us.
Do you need to establish clearer, stronger expectations for those with whom you have a relationship? Are you willing to distance yourself from those who disrespect, use, and abuse you until and unless they repent of their behavior? You can forgive them. You can pray for them. But following Jesus means you don’t need to have a relationship of trust with them unless there is mutual respect."
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