Vicious People

There have been some vicious people in the world.  Vicious people have killed millions I i  of people and destroyed nations. People can be vicious, especially church folks. 

There was a tall frail lady in one of our churches that always had to comment on my size when I made a church visit.  I know that I am larger than the average person, especially tall frail ladies.  After about the third or fourth time, or it could have been on a Sunday that I really did not want to accept insults, I smarted back to her.  She said, “You are too big, you need to lose weight.”  For a minute, I thought I was at the doctor’s office.  He always says that I need to lose weight.

I smarted back to her by saying, “Listen you remind me of my Honda Civic with a little four-cylinder engine.  It is cheap on gas, but I am like the big eight-cylinder in my pickup oioh ok I’m sorry but pop l BC job.  I am bigger and stronger than you are and I require more fuel to get around than you do.

When I have lost weight, there are those vicious little ladies, both church and extended family that crush our spirits.  I am feeling proud to have lost fifteen pounds and they say, “Whew, you shore have gotten fat.”  Us fat people got feelings!

As long as we go along and contribute to their fulfillment and pleasure, they tolerate us.  Watch out if you get in their way.  I try to know God’s love and purpose.  Without that assurance, facing vicious people can be a hopeless and terrifying experience.

It has been a long time but I received a vicious letter.  No, it was not directed at me, but to me.  I learned a long time ago to see who sent or wrote the letter before I read it.  A preacher friend told me a long time ago that upon receiving vicious mail, check to see who wrote the letter.  If it is not signed, tear it up immediately.  He said you won’t have the temptation to read it if you destroy it.  His reasoning was that if the perpetrator was a coward if he or she did not sign it.  He said if a letter is not signed, I do not read it.  I have lived by that principle for years.

Seeing that the letter and packet of material was defamatory to the character of a co-laborer in Christ and was not signed, I promptly sealed the package and disposed of it.  I had a pretty good feeling who sent it and what they were trying to do the ministry of a Godly man.

As the devil would have it, I was in revival the week I penned the article.  After preaching Monday night, I received a card in the mail.  I noticed that there was no return address and a note on the back of the envelope.  It was an odd message, but I got the jest of it.  It said I need to preach Jesus.  The title of Monday night’s message is “A Pink Note from God” from Psalm 46.  It is a personal testimony of God presence in one of the darkest hours of my life.  It was when our house burned in 2012.

Monday night I received some of the best compliments for the same sermon that I have ever received.

The front of the card had “A Note from, the words had been marked out with a black marker, God above the black mark, and “Pink” placed with an arrow between “A Note.”

Inside the card was a bunch of Scripture verses.  I looked for a signature, finding none I tore the card into little bitty pieces.  Shoot! The whole sermon was about God being our refuge, our strength, and very present in times of trouble.

However, the damage had been done.  Whoever penned the note was vicious.  Satan and his vicious agent were trying to stop revival.  My first thought was I would like to punch Satan’s agent right in the mouth, but I figured it was a little old lady.  I am a pastor I gotta have thick skin.  Then I thought, and I felt sorry for the one that Satan used.  I think in his or her feeble mind that they were being an agent of light, not darkness.

 

Dr. Andy Westmoreland, former president of Samford University makes these suggestions for dealing with vicious people.

 

Boldly Resist:  Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproaches us also.  And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Luke 11:45-46

 

Negotiate:  Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.  Matthew 5:25

 

Turn the other cheek: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:38

 

Since I did not know the vicious person, I turned the other cheek.  It still stings a little bit!

The defamation of my so called pastor friend that I destroyed, turned on me years later.  Turned out he was vivious toward me himself.  I turned the other cheek and it stung too.