We are told that we must fight evil at every turn…yet the
Sermon teaches us to “resist not evil.”
I’ve come to my own understanding of those seemingly opposite
views. First, I have dropped the very
word “fight” from my word selection. ..also “resist.” Fighting and resisting,
to me, are open calls for my ego to gear up, take charge, put the old self on
parade.
The act of fighting evil is to not dwell in my
temptations’ hidey holes. I read once that we can't hate that which we honestly
understand. That seemed reasonable to me so I do seek to understand the temptation, be it
person or thing. The trick is to understand it without inviting it in to do my thinking for me.
I had an example just the other day of a temptation singing
my song. An acquaintance had stepped on my toes, but I know the drill. I know
to not react in kind, so my behavior was excellent…my ego, however, was
incensed. I consciously ran the scene over in my mind, came to an understanding
of what I believed the acquaintance was about, and let her off the hook. Said, "Thank you, God," and immediately the next word in my mind was, “but….” I knew
without going one thought further that I had not let her off the hook. That
“but” was my justification for continuing to chew her a new one in my mind...for building a
resentment, furnishing it, living there.
All that afternoon, I tried different ways to understand her
so that I could get free of me. Each and every time that I felt free and said
my thank you, “but” followed. It became fairly funny, truth to tell.
I finally called a friend, told her the story and in the
talking, I saw me and realized what had me hooked. I was able finally to let the
acquaintance walk free in my mind.
So “fighting evil at every turn” pretty much boils down to
“see our ego at every turn.” It is detaching from its siren song that sets us
free. There. That is resist not evil...become transparent to it and let it flow on through. Get a giggle out of it while
we’re at it.
Thank you.
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