Borrowed Breath

I just read this article, How Did Christianity Become an Excuse to Be Mean? by Helen Mildenhall.

And I found myself asking these questions:
“Why do I need to be right?” 
“What is it in me that always needs you to be wrong?”

In my early days of walking with the Lord, there was a simple concept that impacted my life.  I believe it was from The Calvary Road by the late Roy Hession, but I’m having trouble locating it right now in the book to quote it.  Anyway, the author (perhaps Mr. Hession) equated righteousness with “being right with God.”  And the only way I can ever be right with God is through the perfect life, sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Righteousness equals being right with God.

So if I’m counted righteous, or right with God, then it’s okay if I appear wrong to you, isn’t it?

And yet there is this snare that I fall into, and many other Christians fall into, of needing to be right in the eyes of our fellow man.  Rather than rolling up my sleeves to kneel and serve you, I find I’m rolling up my sleeves and putting my fists up so we can duke it out.  How quickly I forget that my Lord did not jump to His own defense.  Our Lord, as a silent Lamb, allowed Himself to be blasphemed and lied about without needing to be seen as being right.  The only time He spoke up against the false accusations of those who opposed Him was when their words defied the glory of His Father.  He did not come to His own defense.  He let His love defend His honor.  He allowed His grace and compassion and mercy and healing touch speak for Him.

Does love win or doesn’t it?