When taken hostage by gaslighting…

It can be deeply painful when someone hates us for doing good. It hurts when our sense of justice is mocked, because it doesn’t bow to their demands. The Bible puts it so well. ‘You have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness’ (Amos 6:12). These kinds of people will try to poison us, to gaslight us into agreeing with their reality.

But the Bible guides us when we are in danger of being taken as a hostage: ‘They shall never enter my rest’ (Psalm 95:11). We can say, ‘NEVER!’ We can say, ‘No! You can’t come in! You will not disturb my rest.’ We can choose who we let into our lives. We can choose those who love good.

(photo by Leonie Fahjen: pexels.com)

In search for humanness

In researching the life of a WWII refugee, this is what I conclude. When rulers lose their humility, they act brutally. When authorities lose their humility, they behave harshly. But it also shines the spotlight on me. For, I too can lose my humility. As a person once said, “When we thought we were right, we became monsters.”

But, Jesus steps into my life with his gentle voice, a voice so quiet it is easy to miss. “Learn from me,” he says, “for I am gentle and humble in heart.” (Matthew 11:29) He is the model for my uneducated heart. He teaches me how to become human again.