Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash
We know the character of God whenever we read the Gospels and take a good look at the character of Jesus.
Remember
what Jesus said about those who hurt children — and I think He meant everyone
who is vulnerable?
Jesus said
that whoever welcomes the child — again, children as exemplars of the
vulnerable — welcomes Him, but whoever causes the child and others who are
vulnerable to stumble, that
it would be better for that person to be drowned with the largest millstone
around their neck at the bottom of the deepest sea. Yes, there is hyperbole in
that, but who of us would test Jesus?
So, the
question remains, who exactly is vulnerable? This is a very good question to
ask, because we can all be surprised to find that the vulnerable are
everywhere. And would we cause them
to stumble?
Not only
are the vulnerable everywhere, in children, in the infirmed, in those with
disabilities, in those who have precious little knowledge, the physically
weaker, those meek of spirit, and truly those who have no or very little power;
those for whom power over them can be misused and abused.
The wisest thing any of us can do is
to honour God
to the extent that we would
never misuse or abuse the power God gives us.
to honour God
to the extent that we would
never misuse or abuse the power God gives us.
The second wisest thing any of us can
do is
to confess any misuse or abuse of power,
and to repent of it.
No one is beyond the grace of God.
to confess any misuse or abuse of power,
and to repent of it.
No one is beyond the grace of God.
It is only
the lost who can be saved. It is only the person who cares for others who shows
they know God. It is only the person who is connected with their capacity to do
wrong, that sees their wrong, who demonstrates they’re illuminated by the Lord.
Some of the most vulnerable people
in the ordinary, everyday flow of life
are those who are caring enough to trust much.
in the ordinary, everyday flow of life
are those who are caring enough to trust much.
They open themselves up to love,
to receive love as they give love,
exposing themselves to both
be loved and abused.
to receive love as they give love,
exposing themselves to both
be loved and abused.
Heaven won’t
help the person who intentionally hurts the vulnerable person; the person who
places trust into would-be hurtful hands. It won’t end well for the person who
spurns that person’s trust.
God’s voice echoes throughout ALL
eternity,
‘Vengeance is mine!’
‘Vengeance is mine!’
Think
about this for a moment: the person who trusts another person wholeheartedly has
made themselves vulnerable for the purposes of love. That is a love that must be
cherished and stewarded wisely.
Another wise thing to ever do
is to continually seek of God,
‘Who here, Lord, is vulnerable,
and how is it that they are,
and how do you charge me
to protect their vulnerability?’
is to continually seek of God,
‘Who here, Lord, is vulnerable,
and how is it that they are,
and how do you charge me
to protect their vulnerability?’
God will
one day hold us all to account on how we cared for the vulnerable. He seems so
silent now, but there will be a reckoning, of that we must be sure.
Perhaps
the greatest rub in a message like this is for those of us everywhere who have
vulnerable ones in our homes, and in other secret places — where we think
nobody knows; but God knows! — where our performance is not on a public stage — where we are truly known. Where we might seem
to get away with inappropriate behaviours. Where the vulnerable do not have the
protection we ought to provide them. Situations where gaslighting won’t protect
an abuser.
The sorry
irony of this message is that the person who needs it most won’t even read it,
let alone apply it. They refuse to see themselves as culpable, when, in another
flash of irony, the vulnerable do see themselves as capable of misusing and abusing power, if only they had it.
The caring soul admits their capacity
for the sin of abuse,
and is hyper aware,
and because they are,
they rarely if ever engage in it.
for the sin of abuse,
and is hyper aware,
and because they are,
they rarely if ever engage in it.
The epitome of courage is the
vulnerability that trusts itself to love.
vulnerability that trusts itself to love.
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