Put Up Thy Sword

How do I increase my capacity to exercise patience, love, and understanding with others?
How can I consciously ACT and not REACT (act and not be acted upon)?
When I increase my own sense of self worth and understand my own identity as a daughter of God, all else will follow:

• Acknowledge that I make mistakes, both intentionally and unintentionally
• Acknowledge that other people make mistakes as well. Do not condemn them
• Recognize what I need to change in my own life
• Practice forgiveness and compassion on myself = will do the same for others

How does Christ treat those around him?
In John 18, Christ is in the Garden with his disciples and they are confronted by a mob of not so happy men. When Christ asks who they are looking for, they reply Jesus of Nazareth. Christ tells them who he is and is ready to be taken, but before anything is done, Peter draws his sword and cuts of the ear of the nearest mob man:

"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the nigh priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then Jesus said to Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" John 18:10&11

Hold up. Christ just spent the last few hours suffering for the sins of the world. He had been through hell and back, and now one of his disciples is handing him over to a mob. He knows what is about to happen. He knows he is about to give up his own life to fulfill his purpose as the savior of the world. He has every right in this moment to be frustrated, angry, terrified, and honestly, past feeling about how everyone else is feeling and reacting. There are so many reasons he could just start yelling or fighting physically- but instead, he chooses to focus on what is happening with Peter and this Malchus guy. He chooses to teach them both the power of forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. He teaches them to reach outward and to ACT instead of react.

How often do we act like Peter and get caught up in the heat of the moment with our limited perspective? From Peter's point of view, he was doing the right thing. He was taking action to make sure that Christ would not be captured or harmed. He did not see anything wrong with his behavior, and I'm sure  he was shocked to hear Christ tell him to put his weapon away and watch him heal the same man that was there to capture him.

There are plenty of instances where we intentionally or unintentionally cause harm to someone else through our own "swords", whether it's words, actions, or any other negative behavior. We wound those around us with the thought that we are making things right, when in reality, we don't understand the greater picture. Peter thought he was saving Christ by attacking Malchus, but he didn't understand that Christ had to submit to these men to fulfill his purpose. Peter's reaction caused Malchus extreme physical harm. It seems like Malchus was just a guy in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and suffered because of Peter's choice. Although he was negatively affected by Peter's actions, through Christ, he was able to experience the healing that he needed in way a that changed his life. We too can experience Christ's love and mercy. We can be forgiven when we harm others, and also experience the healing power of his atonement when others do us wrong as well.

It's important for each of us to acknowledge that we do not have the whole picture on anything AT ALL. We only have a limited perspective, and when we recognize that, we are able to step back and change our behavior. We will develop the capacity to reach outward, like Christ does, and put up our sword(s) into [our] sheath. That doesn't mean that we will not be required to stand up for ourselves on occasion- but it means that we will develop the ability to understand when to speak, and when not to speak. We will develop the ability to know when we need to defend ourselves and when we need to let things be. We will understand that we don't know everything about the people around us or what God may have in store. We will understand our own capability to act and not be acted upon.

I really really enjoyed this study today and hope you have a fantastic week!
Much love,
Emily