Victim Or Victor

Scripture

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

~1 John 5:4, NKJV

Quote

No believer in Jesus Christ is ever a victim because God is ultimately in control and He will use whatever touches our lives for our good and His glory.

~Charles Stanley

I read C.S. Lewis REFLECTION ON THE PSALMS a few weeks ago and I was a bit surprised by his insights. Lewis pointed out the difference between the Jewish mindset and that of the Gentiles. The Gentile Christian view is that we are sinners deserving of death and hell and everything we get from God is grace. This is not how Jews think. They are fully convinced that they are victims of injustice and this is why so much emphasis is put on justice in the Psalms. Their idea of judgement is their personal vindication. They believe God will punish all their enemies and show them favoritism in the kingdom to come. This is what Paul deals with in Romans 2…He tells them point blank…You are as sinful as the Gentiles and it makes no difference to God whether you are Jew or Gentile. We will all be judged by the same standard–how we respond to Christ.

Every human being on the planet has been treated unjustly by someone at sometime. Yes, it is true that some have been more mistreated than others but all humans have been hurt by sin. It is amazing how we humans cling to an injustice. If we allow the injustice to become all consuming, we develop a victim’s complex. This leads to irresponsible behavior and excuse making. We blame all our problems on others. Your parents may have made some mistakes; you may have had a teacher or a coach mistreat you, embarrass you in public, demean and ridicule you before others but this is no excuse for bad behavior. You may have suffered rejection from a spouse but we cannot give in to our emotional aches and pains. Forgive you parents, teachers, coaches, siblings, etc and move on with your life. If you refuse to disengage with the hurt of the past, you will become a whining, complaining victim. You will feel entitled. Everyone will owe you while you will feel debt free toward others. You will blame your failures on others and make continuous excuses about your irresponsibility.

Grow up! No one owes you and everything you have is a gift so be thankful. No one has had perfect parents or teachers. Learn from your mistakes and move on. As long as you alibi and make excuses, you will not make any progress.

Extra

I think it may have gotten to 90 degrees yesterday but it didn’t seem that hot to me. It turned out to be a beautiful day. We could use a shower. I don’t want a gully washer, just a shower. My old ford tractor that I plow the garden with has bit the dust. Can’t get it to hit a lick. Can’t complain, it has been a good one.

We all had a frightening moment yesterday. Gregg went unconscious on Traci on their way home from Little Rock. She did CPR and called for an ambulance. They got him to Memphis and it turns out it was his BP. It bottomed out. They say he is going to be fine. The girls went to Memphis to help Traci. Traci is our hero, she did all the right things under a lot of pressure. Everyone loves Old Gregg and we are glad he is doing pretty good. My sister Holly is having a hard time getting use to the port. She starts her chemo next Monday.

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