Taking the High Road…..

Recently, I have had to ask myself hard questions about my being a born again Christian. This soul searching was preceded by some happenings at my place of work as well as in my personal life. During this period, I shared my predicament with a Christian friend. What he told me jolted me from my usual thought or ignorance about what being a born again Christian entails. I think I have never really taken time to find out, understand and act out the faith I profess when I am faced with difficult and challenging situations.  In my being a born again Christian, I realized that I have been selfish and served my own purposes. I have wanted what is only best for me with total disregard to the people around me. I have severally found myself trying to prove my righteousness, holiness and above par character and reputation. In doing this, I have come out as rude, argumentative and defensive.

In this state, I also noticed that I started making selfish prayers. I presented myself to God as being good, righteous, worthy of His love, favor and forgiveness. On the other hand, I thought, and did present others to God, as bad, evil, malicious, unholy and people not worthy of God’s love and mercy. If, in my imagination, I thought somebody was standing in the way of having what I wanted, I went to God and told Him to deal with the person so severely that they would know best not to ‘touch the anointed one of God.’ Well, the more I took this stance on prayer and presented God’s people as bad, the more the Holy Spirit worked on my conscious. I was approaching God as if He was a witchdoctor. Don’t people approach witchdoctors with an aim of satisfying themselves at the expense of other people? I wanted God to work for my complete best and mete out punishment to people who stood in my way.

When I was introduced to the phrase ‘Taking the High Road…..’ I thought I knew all about it. I was dumbfounded and speechless when my friend explained to me what that phrase was all about. I remember I tried interjecting, at some points, when I thought that he was being absolutely ridiculous. He was asking me to exercise humility even though I know that I have been wronged. He asked me to ask for forgiveness even when I know I am right. He asked me to be conscious of the people around me and what they might be going though. He asked me to radiate the love of God in those difficult and challenging situations. He asked me to get off my high horse and let Christ be seen in me. He asked me to be humble, peaceful and be the first to apologize as well as the first to forgive.

In the end, when he had finished talking, my mind and heart were completely and totally rejecting all that he had said. I knew he was saying the truth and my spirit was pricked but my flesh and human mind thought otherwise. My mind raced with questions; what about my pride? What about my right of being right? Where is my strength? Where is my person? How on earth can I do all that? I will be labelled weak and without a backbone!!! Truthfully, I was disturbed and the issue weighed heavily on me. I told him, just like Jesus said, my spirit is willing but my flesh is very weak. I asked God to help me be this kind of a Christian.

And so it was that I was recently faced with a situation that I considered unfair on me. Quickly, my mind went to the usual mode of telling God how I had been wronged and how He should avenge my cause. Nevertheless, in the middle of this dialogue with God, He reminded me of this discourse on taking Him like a witchdoctor. In the end, my prayer angle changed into asking Him to forgive me for any wrong I did that warranted what I was going through. I, then, prayed for their good and asked God to bless and not to curse them. I asked God to take control of the whole situation not as I know how but as He knows best.

I felt so much peace after that.