Meanness

If you've ever listened to Beth Moore teach you know what a blessing she is to hear and what revelation she brings. Three weeks ago we started one of her studies at church on Esther... "it's tough being a woman." And it is! It's tough having double x chromosomes!! lol. It's tough having a period every month and hormonal chaos! It's tough living in the shadows of other women and it's tough living in a world where beauty is a treatment. Her lesson last night was on "Its tough being a woman in a mean world!" AMEN!! This world is mean! Or should I say that there are people in this world who are mean!

Meanness always has a history. ALWAYS! Keeping in mind we're studying Esther consider this: The hatred and anger that Haman (an Amalekite) had towards Mordecai (the jew) stems from a disobeyed instruction given to King Saul to annailate the Amalekite people. (1Sam 15:10-23,30) The spirit of Amalekite targets the defenseless, the weak. They were cowards and there's nothing meaner than a coward. The Lord wanted to rid the earth of ALL the Amalekite people but Saul failed to obey his command. And because of it.. Mordecai became victim to Haman's anger. The Amalekite people were wilderness enemies unprovoked. Meaning.. they attacked those were were weak, defenseless, they targeted those type of people because they were insecure. Insecurity is always at the heart of every rivalry.

Meanness perceives a threat. Have you ever just had a sudden wave of anger overcome you? To the point where you just stop and ask "where did that come from?" We as christians need to learn to identify why we feel threatened when we have the desire to be mean. Let me just stop here and say that I was and can still be at times a mean person. Don't lie to yourself.. because we ALL are at times! :-O But, why?? Consider this quote, "Surely as Christians we must recognize the spirit of Haman not only in our world but within ourselves." I'm not saying that that spirit controls us or that it is constantly manifest in our life but we need to stop and think about when anger rises up within us why we are feeling threatened at that moment. Do we get angry because we see beautiful, successful, ambitious, women who seem to have a perfect marriage, perfect house, perfect car and we think we don't measure up? Anger is power to those who have no other source of it. 2 Corinthians 10:12 basically says, that it's not wise to measure yourself up against others. Don't let others determine your self worth. Find your value in God and in who He has created YOU to be.

The wonderful thing is that Meanness is curable. Leave your"Haman" to God. Don't repay evil for evil. If you've ever encountered a mean woman overcome her evil with good. Don't bow down to her, don't serve her, but DO LOVE HER. Romans 12:17-21 says to leave room for God's vengeance. If you're fighting what feels like a war with a mean spirited woman you can rest assured that you will overcome if you'll leave it to God to avenge.

So what is a mean woman? In my opinion a mean woman is someone who degrades others to make herself feel better. I think a mean woman is someone who puts on a friendly front but then talks bad about you behind your back. Beth Moore said she thinks a mean woman is someone who dresses provactively in front of other women's husbands! You know what you're wearing when you leave the house girl!! lol.

SO.... all that to say this. When anger arises in our life, it's time we took note of why we are feeling threatened at that moment. Is it because of our own insecurities? Maybe that person was just mean? And if so.. heap burning coals on her head by being kind. Something a mean person most definitely is not.

Seasoned friends

Last week I was having a conversation with my mother-in-law about life in general. And she makes the statement that we all have seasoned friends. Friends that are only in our life for a season. This thought had never occured to me. But, after giving it much consideration I realize how true it has proved to be in my own life.

How many times have I wondered why friendships have ended for really no reason at all... they were seasoned friends. There are times in our life when we need people.. we need people who make us laugh, people who distract us from the chaos we're surrounded by, people who understand what we've gone through, people who love our kids and treat them like their own, I mean I could go on. But, soon life passes by. And the needs of your life change and so do theirs. It's not a bad thing that people change, but it happens. Does that make sense to anyone but me? I'm not implying that ALL friends are seasoned friends. Thank God for the ones who are life friends. It's just that.. like a light bulb has gone off in my head and things I couldn't make heads or tails of in the past... I now completely understand. I'm very appreciative of the friends that were in my life, even if it was only for a season.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.