12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;13bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.14But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Because we have been called and chosen by God and we have a new nature by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are told that we can "put on" certain qualities - these are resident within our hearts, but we have to activate them. We have the capacity to be kind and compassionate, longsuffering and forgiving, but these attributes and activities have to be released by our choice to rely on the Spirit. We can put on love - we can do it - it runs contrary to what is called human nature, but if we stay connected to Christ, we can see His character expressed through us.
Luke 6 gives us a strong admonition regarding how Jesus would desire for us to respond to those who treat us poorly:
27"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,28bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.29To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.30Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.31And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
Jessica Eaves is an outreach leader at First Christian Church of Guthrie, OK was shopping in a local grocery store recently and remembered seeing a man come up behind her. The next thing she knew, her wallet was missing from her purse.
According to a report on ChristianNews.net, instead of immediately calling the police, Eaves decided to do something bold: she tracked him down. But as she did so, an admonition from the Bible came to mind.
She told local television station KWTV that she walked toward him and "kind of weaved through the carts. And as I did, this Scripture from Luke kind of jumped out at me that said if someone hits you on the cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone steals your cloak, give them your shirt. So I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just be nice.’”
She told reporters, “I said to him, ‘I think you have something of mine. I’m gonna give you a choice. You can either give me my wallet and I’ll forgive you right now, and I’ll even take you to the front and pay for your groceries.”
However, she also told the man that if he chose not to return her wallet, she would call the police.
Jessica Eaves is an outreach leader at First Christian Church of Guthrie, OK was shopping in a local grocery store recently and remembered seeing a man come up behind her. The next thing she knew, her wallet was missing from her purse.
According to a report on ChristianNews.net, instead of immediately calling the police, Eaves decided to do something bold: she tracked him down. But as she did so, an admonition from the Bible came to mind.
She told local television station KWTV that she walked toward him and "kind of weaved through the carts. And as I did, this Scripture from Luke kind of jumped out at me that said if someone hits you on the cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone steals your cloak, give them your shirt. So I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just be nice.’”
She told reporters, “I said to him, ‘I think you have something of mine. I’m gonna give you a choice. You can either give me my wallet and I’ll forgive you right now, and I’ll even take you to the front and pay for your groceries.”
However, she also told the man that if he chose not to return her wallet, she would call the police.
He handed it back to her and she followed through on her offer. The man became emotional and was moved to tears as she covered his $27 bill. She paid for it with cash, which she says she never carries with her - and the amount she had was $28. She told The Christian Post, “And so I knew in that moment it wasn’t me. It was Christ that played in that moment.”
Eaves says that she never wanted any attention over the matter, but that when she posted about the experience on Facebook, word began to spread. While some have been critical of the college student and mother of four for not reporting the man for theft, Eaves believes that she did what was right and would like to see others also react the same when in similar situations. She also says that she hopes the man has learned his lesson and will stop stealing.
Eaves says that she never wanted any attention over the matter, but that when she posted about the experience on Facebook, word began to spread. While some have been critical of the college student and mother of four for not reporting the man for theft, Eaves believes that she did what was right and would like to see others also react the same when in similar situations. She also says that she hopes the man has learned his lesson and will stop stealing.
This is actually a remarkable story of a woman who was willing to confront someone who had done her wrong and to respond with Christ-like compassion. For one thing, I think I would have headed straight to store security and made my accusation. Of course, by that time the man could have left the store and been headed who-knows-where. So, she had to think quickly, and what she came up with was inspired by the Lord, I think.
It's a great reminder to us to be reliant on the Holy Spirit, connected to Him so that we can respond the way He desires us to in any situation. How often can we say that we are really seeking His wisdom and acknowledge that He is with us? We can be challenged to put the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit into practice as we find ways to think on Him and remind ourselves that Jesus has sent Him to help and to counsel us?
And, not only that, we can be ready to be compassionate. Not only did she confront a man who had wronged her, but she offered to meet his needs. And, in so doing, she made an indelible impact on this man who was out of money and thought he was out of options. She didn't only ask the man directly for her wallet back, but she truly went the second mile, offering forgiveness and demonstrating the love of Christ.
Finally, she had $28 in her pocket to cover a $27 grocery bill. Sometimes God will give us little reminders of His providence and we can reflect on how we have seen Him move. After she had decided to minister to this man, He helped her to see that she had been obedient to Him. Perhaps there are God-moments in our lives that we allow to slip by without perhaps even giving them a second thought. I believe we can be sensitized to His working in and through us and then give Him the glory.
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