Striving

Have you ever read the law of retaliation in the Bible? It is one of those things that is easier to read about than to put into practice.

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. ...I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:38, 39, 43-48).

We learned today that our former landlord skimmed hundreds of dollars off the top of our rental deposit refund and sent us back about half of the amount that had been agreed upon when we signed on with them. We could have quickly moved on, had they charged us $100 or so to replace mini-blinds or something. They cited all sorts of problems with the condition in which we left the house and they charged us for carpet cleaning services, when it was the last thing we did before we left. We are stunned. The deposit was to have been refunded within 14 days, not the 10 weeks it took to get it to us. Phone calls were not returned, our previous documentation of problems with the rental were not taken into account. When we finally did receive the letter and see the paltry sum returned to us with the corresponding explanation we were, quite frankly, outraged.

As I thought about our financial loss this evening, I ironed the kitchen curtains with a vengence. Sam sputtered angrily at the computer, looking over state law and trying to find some recourse. The deposit refund had been earmarked for something important, which will not materialize now. We live in another state and even if we were to take these people to small claims court, the monetary gain would be gobbled up in travel and attorney's expenses. I was beside myself.

I hate feeling like my hands are tied, especially when faced with something so unfair. But I kept thinking about Jesus' words about blessing those who curse you and doing good to those who "despitefully use you." If I feel hateful toward those who are unfair to me, how am I any better than those who makes no profession of following God?

It's not always clear where to draw the line between being a doormat and gently standing up for oneself. I have always been what I consider a strong advocate for myself and the things I've been working toward. So to entertain the idea that I shouldn't fight for what is rightfully mine is foreign to my thinking. Certainly, being victimized in an abusive relationship would be a reason to get out and stop the abuse. Protecting oneself in those situations and preventing the abuser from harming others is always appropriate. But what of my current situation?

There is no threat of physical danger here, nothing to do to protect myself either. It is merely one of those annoying instances in which one person takes advantage of another. It reminds me of the time we lived in the Midwest and Sam paid a homeless man $100 to remove bushes in our back lot. He made off with the money and we spent hours hacking the bushes out ourselves. But our sentiment was, Shame on us for being taken, and we weren't that put out.

A few deep breaths and several hours of reflection later, I'm beginning to remember that the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven are so unlike anything we have on earth.
1. Salvation is given to us and we aren't to wear ourselves out trying to obtain it. We call on the name of God and trust Him to fulfill His word to us.
2. The Sabbath is given to us so we can rest--we aren't to strive with life every single day. We are to obey God and trust that He will make us productive and useful, even as we rest and divert our attention from business for 24 hours.
3. We lose our life to save it. By giving up our plans and accepting God's direction for our lives, we save our souls. Seems backward, but it's in the Bible.

Now here's another opportunity to trust God and relax, knowing that once again He will take care of whatever needs attending to.

No, I don't anticipate that the Lord will send disturbing dreams to our former landlord until they fork the rest of the deposit over to us. But I do expect God to teach me to wait on Him and to leave the results for Him to manage. It is consistent with the Biblical principle of giving up my druthers in order to gain what is truly important in this life. Because in the end, amassing possessions is not a critical factor in a successful Christian life. There are worse things than losing money. Insisting on living the earthly way comes to mind.