Acknowledge

Topics without Scriptures: Achaia.

This time of year is a time for celebration in the academic world, as students from all levels celebrate graduating. I was among those students as I walked across the stage to receive my university diploma. However, this day was not like I imagined it when I left high school. I imagined that I would walk across that stage with a tidal wave of academic achievement to swell and sweep me forward to accept my achievement. A perfect GPA, a least two majors and maybe a few minors, incredible undergrad research and a study abroad thrown in for the fun of it. Instead, I walked across that stage just glad that I wasn't being carried on a figurative academic stretcher.

The week that has followed has been full of moving and the subsequent feeling of moving on, as I tried not let the disappointment of unrealized expectation get the better of me. On the whole, I did a very good job looking on the bright side and seeing my life as upbeat and shinny. Until yesterday.

It was probably a combination of being hungry, being tired, and being too weak emotionally to hold back. I spewed to my mother all my woes, and was pretty close to just taking my diploma and throwing it away. With all the patience of a saint, mother firmly reminded me that I HAD accomplished a degree, they hadn't just given it to me, and that it was a miracle I did not have to drop out of school from my health problems in order to get it.

A miracle.

In Proverbs 3:6 it reads:

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

It is difficult to bring to remembrance all the impossibilities that God has given me when I'm the star of a self-pity party. I was not remembering him and disregarding the goals he and I were able to finish together. He with his power of all things, and I with my surrendered will. The fact that I could even walk across the stage without a cane is a manifestation of God's mercy. It is always amazing how quickly I can forget the good that happens in my life and how difficult it is to forget the negative.

The next question for my own personal study is: how can I follow this scripture and acknowledge God's hand in my life as a whole? I don't really have anything concrete right now other than try to be a good person, but I'll work on it.

Accuser

This thought of accusing others has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Not just because the past couple of posts have been on different versions of the word "accuse", but also because my fiance and I are reading this book together called The Peacegiver. One thought that this book emphasis over and over is that one of the first steps to healing and developing a loving relationship with those around us is to stop judging and condemning others.

In John chapter 8, there is a story of Jesus that I have always loved. A woman who is caught committing adultery is brought to Jesus and the Pharisees ask Jesus what they should do about her. The law said that those committing adultery should be put to death, but Jesus turns the question on the Pharisees and says that whoever has never sinned can kill her. They all sort of guiltily wander away at that point, and Christ asks so lovingly:

"Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?"

When the woman responds that no one is left, Christ says that he will not condemn her and to go and sin no more.

Sometimes I wondering who in this story I am. I guess it switches, that some days I'm the woman hoping beyond hope for the mercy of Christ to make the accusers in my life go away, while other days I'm bringing others before him demanding justice.

Accuse

Christ is talking a lot about not accusing people falsely - in John 5:45 he says that he won't accuse them, but that Moses will. At first I thought this was saying that Moses in the final judgement day would be standing there pointing a finger at them, but Christ clarifies himself by saying that the words of Moses will condemn them. In other words, they should have and did know better - and that is what will condemn them. This fits with the doctrine of accountability also, where you will be judged according to what you are accountable for, or for what you knew about.

I also noticed something in this reading about how we should go about accusing people. The Pharisees were sitting and waiting to find something to accuse Christ of. The advice given to us is not to accuse falsely - which implies that there will be times when we should accuse others. But unlike the Pharisees, we should not be eager to do so and be looking for opportunities. It should not become a favorite pastime, but something necessary for the stability of society.

Accursation

In these scriptures, there is a focus on stories and doctrine focused on people bringing accusations against each other. Half of these scriptures are about people making accusations about Christ. I would like to talk about this first.

Toward the end of his mortal life, Pilot asked the Pharisees, "What accusations bring ye against this man?" They replied, "If he were not a malefactor, would we deliver him unto thee?" I feel that it is safe to interpret this reply as "We want him killed because of how we defined him in our heads, and not for any solid reason."

I wonder how often I judge my Savior based off the definition of him in my head. I create is picture of an all loving man who would do anything to make me happy - then become accusatory when things go wrong because the Savior I thought up would not let those types of things happen. Or I create a picture of a teacher who is so focused on helping me develop personally that I ignore grace and mercy, then feel abandoned when I become weak. The truth is there and it isn't in our heads, and the best way to find and maintain that truth is through constant experience of interacting with Christ. He needs to not be a memory in our minds that can become whatever our circumstances wish him to be, but a real companion that can not be distorted because he is always there to remind us of who he really is.

Now, as to making accusations towards other people, I had an experience yesterday that helped me to understand this concept. Something had happened where someone else did something hurtful, and I was justifiably upset about it. I still loved the person, but was so hurt and shocked that I felt that all the accusations I were making about this person was alright because, after all, they were accurate and I was clearly the victim. Then my wonderful fiance stepped in, and spoke some very touching words. Even though this person was guilty of what they had done I should not lose my compassion. Angry drives away the spirit, while empathy and concern for the hurt emotions behind the actions of this other person will help me to become more of a disciple of Christ.

In summary, be careful before you look for accusations towards others. Think if you are really trying to define another person, and be even more aware of what focusing on those accusations are doing to your heart.