August 2022 • Tammy Hicks Jackson

Romans 12:24. What a beautiful and simple verse! But what a difficult thing to do! and how interesting that this is Verse of the Day on the YouVersion Bible App.

I start most days in that app. Before I let myself check social media, I open it and see what is the verse of the day.

Yesterday, someone mistook my passion for anger. I was making an impassioned plea for something I believe strongly. The strength of my conviction came through in my words and body language. My goal was truth and truth is good.

“Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:31‬

So what do we do when we are trying to do good and it is perceived as evil?

I’ve been taught that communication is the responsibility of the one trying to communicate. In other words, we have a duty to share information in a way that it can be heard.

That seems to apply here. Am I choosing words, as well as tone and body language that conveys what I intend? If not, then I should change it.

But does this always mean that if others to not receive our communication we have not chosen appropriate means?

I don’t think it does. Effective communication requires both the communicator and receiver to be acting in good faith. Unfortunately, there are times when someone is predisposed against communication. Mischaracterizing our means allows them to deflect the content or to encourage others to do so.

The one doing so may not even realize that they are doing so. For most of us, our first instinct is to reject information which does not support our position. In other words, we resist receiving new information because change is hard and new information might require us to change.

For those of us who follow Christ, we need to examine this. The Holy Spirit is always providing us new information—insights about Scripture, their application to our life, things in our life that do not honor or glorify God. This is called sanctifying grace by those of us in the Wesleyan/Methodist stream of Christianity.

How do we know if we are overcoming evil?

We do however need to be reflective as well. We must not immediately dismiss those with whom we are not communicating as being bad actors or not acting in good faith.

However, if we examine ourselves honestly, and have done our best to communicate truthfully, the failure of the message to be received exceeds our responsibility.

So here’s my thought for today:

Perhaps evil has a vested interest in mischaracterizing truthful communication in an effort to prevent good from overcoming it.

My prayer for today: Lord, help me communicate better today. Let the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable to you. Please teach me not to let an excess of emotion to cloud my communication. Keep me on the right side of passion and righteous indignation and not on the side of anger and bitterness. My desire is to be on the side of your good, O Lord, to participate in your will to overcome evil with good. My heart, mind, and hands are open to your guidance that I might do so. Through Christ, Amen.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭

Proverbs 16:11 is a verse I’ve read many times over the years. A similar verse appears in Proverbs 11: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord but an accurate weight is his delight.”

Proverbs repeats itself and contains slight variations on many of the adages. I’m convinced the book is better read one maxim at a time rather than in chapters. Because, honestly, I’ve always heard these verses as saying the same thing—that Christians, and the Jewish people to whom these Scriptures belonged first, should be honest in our business transactions. This pleases God.

Balance

But this time . . . Proverbs 16:11 hit in a new way

Balance is my word for this season. There’s a lot going on in my life and each area needs time and focus—personal relationships, personal health and well-being, vocational responsibilities, and continuing education choices. Any one of those areas could fill my time and absorb all my energy.

Anybody else feel that way? That every area of your life needs 100% and you can’t figure out how to give each one what it needs and demands? There’s not enough energy, not enough time in the day.

To focus on ONE of them would be to neglect the others. The challenge in life is to find balance.

So back to Proverbs 16:11.

Weights measure things. When the amount of weight placed on one end balances the scale, we know the measured weight of the items in the other end.

My life doesn’t feel like a simple scale. It feels like a spinning plate exhibition.

This photo is from the Wikipedia entry Plate Spinning.

Maybe you feel that way, too.

But today Proverbs 16:11 stopped me. God stilled all the plates. He took them off the sticks and stacked them neatly and unbroken at the end of the table.

Then he took out his set of scales and bag of weights. With great gentleness and a warm smile, he said to me, “We can do this. We can choose which needs the focus most and how much energy may be given to each at any given moment.”

WE

We. Did you hear that word? It’s a marvelous word! WE can do this. WE can choose.

The amazing, miraculous, wonderful thing about being a follower of Christ is that none of us must go this life alone. We get a WE.

We get the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we get a family of other believers stumbling, crawling, staggering, or sprinting through life facing many of the same challenges we face (and others we can’t imagine). We are a WE and we are not alone.

The endless, boundless, never-ending, agape love of God.
The magnificent, mind-boggling, virtually incomprehensible grace of Jesus Christ.
The fellowship, leadership, mentoring, coaching, and collaboration of the Holy Spirit.

No Skewed Scales

God’s scales are honest. He doesn’t have his food on one end, skewing them. He isn’t cheating us—either to make us feel better about how we’re doing or worse.

Some of the areas of our life will demand more than they should. Friends may complain you don’t value them when you go back to school. They may accuse you of thinking you’re better than them. Partners may grouse when you choose healthier habits. Work may grumble when you establish boundaries around effort, work load, and time off.

The world’s scales not always honest. The world will place its foot in the scale—demanding more of us, telling us we’re not giving enough and should be ashamed.

The time an area demands may not be the time the area needs or deserves.

God helps us take an honest look at the need in front of us.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1-2‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

The Romans verse above affirms that God doesn’t condemn our efforts. We don’t have to live under constant pressure and stress of not doing enough, of not doing it good enough, of being responsible for everything, especially anything that doesn’t turn out 100% perfectly.

God’s Bag of Weights

Not only does God bring his own scales to this meeting, he brings his own weights.

I imagine these weights are stamped with words like Peace, Worth, Truth, Grace . . .

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

“Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you . . . ”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:4‬a NRSV‬‬

God doesn’t measure the same way the world measures.

The world demands we produce, even if it means working to exhaustion. God says we are to rest in a regular rhythm called sabbath.

The world says our worth is determined by what we produce or the skills we possess or the power we wield. God says that we are each created in God’s own image. We have been given the breath of life, divine breath animating us. We were created because God wanted to have a relationship with us, and we are redeemed, delivered, bought back, freed from sin and death by Jesus. Our worth is determined by our Maker. We are inherently worthy! Before we do the first thing or produce the first item.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:8‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

“So then, from this point on we won’t recognize people by human standards.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:16‬a CEB‬‬

Finding Our Balance

Proverb’s 16:11 reminds me—and you—to use the honest and truthful weights and grace-filled scale of God.

In collaboration with the Holy Spirit, we can give each area what it must have, and be released from guilt and condemnation when we do not give an area what it demands.

And the ongoing nature of our relationship with God will help us adjust and adapt, and manage it all better as we go.

Let’s go find our balance.