Walking Humbly
We sat close together in the front row of the small courtroom, separated from the legal proceedings by a three foot wooden barrier. After years of dealing with the lies and shady maneuverings of the man standing before the judge, we were finally getting our day in court. Put in the position of observers during this hearing, we could only listen as our lawyer presented the facts.
Point by point he made our case. According to the law, it was air-tight. This man had consistently broken promises and violated the terms of our contact. We had extended grace over and over again, until we reached a point where it was no longer a viable option. Reluctantly, we had taken the only avenue open to us.
It came as no surprise when, given the opportunity to present his side, the man tried to paint us as the villains in the judge’s mind with lies and false accusations.
However, there was no question that the law was on our side. The decision went in our favor. As the judge rendered the verdict, we were shocked to hear him offer words of sympathy and apology to this man. He told him how sorry he was to have to find in our favor and assured him he would be haunted by this decision for months.
There we sat, the judge’s words raining down on us, feeling like we were the bad guys. It was so hard to sit there without saying a single word in our own defense. The baliff told us to rise. We watched as the judge left the courtroom. Then we turned and walked silently away.
For me, the proverbial “good girl” who wants nothing more than to please everyone and have their good opinion, it was difficult to sit silently while our character was impugned. I wanted nothing more than to give the judge a run-down of our history with this man – to make him understand how much he had hurt us. I never got the chance. It was humbling.
As we walked away, our steps echoing down the long empty corridors, I thought about Jesus – the One who modeled humility. He came to serve and to turn everything upside down. “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant…” He said. (Mark 10:43). There is no place for pride in His kingdom – no place to worry about garnering the approval of others.
I pictured Him standing before His accusers – their taunts and physical blows raining down on Him. He never spoke a word in His own defense. In the face of injustice, He humbled Himself and became the scapegoat for us. He taught us to walk humbly and leave the rest to the Lord.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
Blessings,
Linda
bless you for sharing
This seems to be a recurring theme right now. We had a grueling day in court two weeks ago. And yes it is humbling to have to watch as evil is so convincing and thus gets the sympathy. Illusion and delusion rule now and the world prefers what only appears to be true. But knowing Who is really in charge, this dark moment in time cannot change that evil has been defeated – in the long run. In the short term, we give thanks for belonging to Him because that’s all that really matters.
Acts 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
Linda, I hear your heart through this majorly traumatic experience and pray that the Holy Spirit ministers to you in the depths of your heart and brings healing and restoration.
Be very kind and gentle with yourself for some time to come and allow the processing of GRIEF at hearing your character impugned.
Thankful we know who we are in Christ and that we share a JOYOUS future with Him.
Love and blessings, and thanks for sharing.
I can see I am a lot like you and that has got to be a GOOD thing.
Linda, thank you for sharing this piece of your life and your heart. Justice on this earth is not always as we would want it to be but thankfully God is the final judge and He is keeping good notes. But you are right about being humble in such a situation. God will reward you for such an attitude. ((Hugs))
All I can say to you as I read of your hurtful experience is that God know the truth. Be comforted by the fact that there’s nothing that any one can say to Him to paint a negative picture of you.
This is indeed a humbling experience. But God knows the truth, and that should comfort you, my sweet friend.
Lord, Thank You for Your servant Linda. Please fill her with peace. I ask You to bless her today with something so special, it will make her heart sing. In Jesus’ Name I pray.
Annette
Thanks so much to all of you. You are so kind and encouraging. We have come through this experience much wiser in so many ways. God is so good. He has been with us through every minute of this struggle. He taught us to lean into Him and trust Him to fight our battles for us. He is faithful – and never for one minute left us on our own.
We are so grateful. As we come to the end of this season, we give Him glory for all He has done in and for us.
Difficult to swallow. It’s beautiful how you chose spiritual growth instead of resentment!