Monday, March 12, 2007

Mosaic Courage

1526 B.C. New Kingdom, Egypt.

And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water." Exodus 2:10 NKJV. According to Jewish tradition, Pharaoh's daughter had no children of her own, and that she was the only child of her father, so that when he was adopted, Moses stood a fair chance for the crown.

Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Exodus 2:11-12 NKJV. Moses had now passed the first forty years of his life in the court of Pharaoh. He had never forgotten his own, and he sought them out. But what would cause a prince of Egypt to put his whole life and status at risk for a mere Hebrew slave?

Perhaps he could no longer stomach the affliction that his Hebrew brethren were going through. Something within him could no longer ignore the suffering of one of his own. And when his tender concern for his Hebrew brethren finally grew into an insuppressible contempt for the abuser, he reacted. He chose to defend a Hebrew brethren who was too accustomed to abuse, too steep in bondage to even dare conceive the thought of self-defense. Short of condoning the act of murder, Moses had reacted for the cause of justice.

It only takes one moment to walk away from doing justice but a lifetime to reconcile from having walked away.

26 A.D. Palestine. Jesus' sermon on the mount.

"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. Matthew 5:38-42 The Message.

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with energies of prayer, for then you are working out your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish - to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. Matthew 5:43-45 The Message.

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. Matthew 5:48 The Message.



March 7th, 2007 A.D. A Workplace.

30 months of praying and interceding for the Spirit of God to transform the hardened hearts of the people in the workplace. 30 months of witnessing moral degradation and undue reprimand. A tired mind. A weary heart. With the last ounce of conviction, an email was sent out to colleagues: "I know thoughts are only expressed on one's last day. However, I would like to share a quote which I have found on the Bloomberg header of one of the sales trader I work with. And that is, "Life is like a mirror. Treat others the way you would like to be treated."

Not ready to give up. Walking away is the quickest way out but the longest way to fulfilling His purpose. After much pondering, even the frailest hope was able to give birth to an act. How would the message be received? More importantly, justice and kindness ought to have a chance to take root in a place where workers slog more than ten hours a day. One person is as important as the next in the eyes of God . No one person should be treated any lesser.

Clicked on "Send". Shut down her PC. Leaving the rest in the hands of God.


Sv ".+

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