Forgive them – it’s in their nature
In San Antonio I was the proud owner of my personal Botanical Gardens. Literally hundreds of vines, plants, bushes and ornamental trees graced every square foot of my front, back and side yards. My plants lived in perfectly amended soil; each receiving the proper light, moisture and nutrients. Hundreds of worms were purchased to keep the soil aerated and Lady Bugs and Praying Mantis were imported to keep the bugs away. Needless to say…everything I planted thrived.
Like all Master Gardeners I was addicted to greenery of all kinds and needed a chlorophyll-fix daily. So moving to the country meant having to carefully uproot and transport at least 6 specimens of everything I owned. This was an arduous task that only a fanatic gardener and devoted husband would undertake. We filled our 16’ trailer to capacity 4 times before we were able to complete the mission. And they all arrived at their new home in fine condition.
However, this new environment with its sandy loam was foreign to me. Transplanting my pampered treasures without having them go into shock required a delicate balance in temperature, soil, water and the right location. So, I placed them all under the shade of a tree, watering them daily as I studied the environments around my property; finally designing a new garden where all my plants received the right amount of light and were protected from burrowing critters and high winds.
My effort paid off. Plants began to grow and blooms of all colors and fragrances sprung forth; attracting hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. I was in heaven again! Every morning I’d take a quiet stroll, with coffee cup in hand, to start my day meditating on God’s goodness and creative genius...until the horrible morning the cows came.
That was the morning I realized that cows really do think that the grass is greener on the other side, and that they will jump over cattle guards to eat it. It was the morning my garden of tranquility disappeared. The first thing I noticed was that my very expensive specimen tree had been uprooted by the cow still chewing on one of its remaining branches. When I realized that almost every plant was gone, the blood drained from my head. It rapidly rose again when I saw dozens of cows snacking on the few plants still standing. As frightened as I am of cows (remember I'm a city gal), I charged at them full force; frantically waving my hands and yelling nonsense. When they bolted in all directions to escape my rampage, Eric shot out of the house and herded them to safety...away from me.
Hoping to get some compensation, I mentioned this incident to the gentleman who owned the cattle. But he just stared at me blankly, nodded his head and bid me a good day. I was dumbfounded. It had never occurred to me that cattle proprietors consider their animals of more value or importance than someone's expensive landscaping. An apology would have been nice; however I managed to not take offense at his thoughtlessness.
However, I began to hate cows. Just watching them graze in the neighbor’s field made my blood boil. The nerve of those animals to ruin my Garden of Eden!!! I hated them a lot...for a very long time. Then, one day as I was walking around our place enjoying the wildlife, I noticed how every insect, bird and critter functions according to its nature; every animal is designed to do what they do. And, then my eyes caught sight of the cows grazing in the pasture. With a sigh...I finally forgave the cows.
This seemingly insignificant revelation lead to some valuable insight regarding human behavior; which helped me forgive misbehaving people. It occurred to me that each of us behaves according to the nature that we allow to rule us. The bible says that we are all born with a craving to appease our desires, and that we will continue to ‘feed the compulsions of selfishness’ if we don’t choose to let Christ control our lives.
Paul tells us that self-centered people can be known by their behavior. He says; ‘it is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable additions; ugly parodies of community.’ (Galatians 5:19-26)
Salvation changes our self-centered nature into one that is motivated by God’s Spirit. When we live God’s way… ‘He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.’ (Galatians 5:22-23)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see this type of transformation in abrasive, abusive people? The truth is that without Christ we are all slaves to our base nature. Let’s not take offense or hate people who can’t help behaving the way they do. Learning to recognize a person's nature helps us to forgive those who have wronged us. Then, like Jesus, we can say 'forgive them father, for they know not what they do.' (Luke 23:24)
Instead of allowing bitterness to take root in our heart let's pray for a change in their hearts instead.
God keep you safe until next time…
love, eloise
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