When you come under attack there are several options available to you. If it is an attack on your computer – as I experienced yesterday thus the failure to post a blog – you can shut down your computer, unplug it from the internet and wait for the computer wise son-in-law to come by and fix it. Or, you can pay the expensive bill to have a member of the Geek Squad to do their magic. I’ve decided to wait for the former … as you can imagine.
This particular Trojan has attacked me before. Actually, this is the third time. It is just plan nasty. My son-in-law has put it “in jail” several times only for it to reinvent itself and find a way out. The conclusion that we are probably looking at this time is to pull all the data and programs off the computer, wipe the mother board totally clean and start all over. What a mess.
When the attack comes from another person your choices are more wide spread. Ones response is going to depend on if you choose to be an Agent of Transformation or not. Here are several options: You can hope that the attacker simply goes away, i.e. changes churches, etc.; You can pray that someone shows him/her the error of his/her ways … good luck on that one; You can attack back as in “I don’t get mad I get even”; etc. You probably could add your favorite.
But as Christians we are actually asked to be Agents of Transformation as Jesus asks us to “turn the other cheek” “go the second mile” “to forgive seventy times seven” and “to forgive our enemies and those who spitefully use us”. Agents of Transformation, if I understand the Gospel teachings is to seek reconciliation at whatever the personal cost to ourselves … even to the point of making a personal apology if by chance there was something in our words and/or deeds that might have offend the other person.
It is never easy being an Agent of Transformation, but as often experienced the rewards are fantastic … like the healing of emotions, memories, situations … even the coming together of an entire church. Another way of looking at this is “growing up” spiritually and starting to actually embody the essence of Jesus Christ as shown upon the cross of crucifixion as he turned to ask for forgiveness for those who had put him there. He didn’t do anything wrong, he had ever right to be angry, upset, hurt and yet Jesus became the Agent of Transformation within that horrible situation and look what happened … resurrection happened … new life … new possibilities.
We can either hold grudges and allow it to eat away at our soul and spirit … or we can reach out in love and seek reconciliation with our enemies. The choice is ours … not an easy choice at best, but nevertheless a choice of transformation for it transforms both individuals in the process and bears testimony to the power of God.
Quote for today: Forgiveness is a funny thing; it warms the heart and cools the sting. William A. Ward
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