The Face of Opposition

Imagine walking into work every morning and being face-to-face with your opponent, someone who was just waiting for the chance to betray you. He plans this in secret, all the while smiling and telling you how great you are. What would you do if you already knew who it was?

Most of us would plan to have him removed. Most of us would never open up to him about our plans. Most of us would never invite him to dinner, let alone make him a member of our closest friends and inner circle. We’re not God, but that is exactly what God did.

At that time, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaios, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all.

Luke 6.12-19

Ever since before He created us in the Garden, God already knew that we would betray Him. That should tell us something about His love for us. For those who think about God as jealous, angry and full of vengeance, His willingness to keep us close to Him proves everyone wrong.

From walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden to inviting Judas into the inner circle of disciples, God’s love for us means He will never walk away. He knows our weakness and always has a way for us to return to Him.

That should be enough for us to swallow our pride and work to overcome our weakness. It should be enough for us to seek Him out in every circumstance to guide us through His Holy Spirit to live up to His love for us.

It should also be enough for us not to walk away from those who are against us. Return to that coworker whom we know is planning our demise. If God won’t give up on us, why do we give up on our fellow human beings?

I get it. We’re not God. I hear you, but is that really enough of an excuse to walk away? Our spiritual journey isn’t only about our sin. It is about how we interact and love others. Imagine how the world would change if we refused to walk away from the opposition.

As an example, many today suggest that the Ecumenical Patriarchate leave Turkey for a ‘more peaceful’ existence in another country. His mission of peace and reconciliation is what does not allow him to walk away. Even though he suffers, he cannot walk away as an icon of God.

We are all called to be icons of God. We are all called to love as God loves. We are all called to a mission of peace and reconciliation. Here’s my invitation for you today. Rather than walking away from your opposition, work to reconcile.

Like Judas, the opposition may still walk away from us, but never for the lack of effort on our part. You never knew who is watching your interaction. Just as we are inspired by stories of the saints reconciling with their enemies, others may be inspired by our reconciliation.

Rather than approaching your opponent ‘to win’ rather than lose, approach him to reconcile. There are no losers in reconciliation, only winners. When we work ‘to win’ we both lose. God taught us how to win. He taught us how to reconcile. He taught us never to walk away.