Gentleness

"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."  Matthew 10:16

It's Confirmation time at my church, and I have this feeling of "sending out."  The congregations I've served have all followed the traditional practice of confirming young people near the end of 8th grade, many of these students in our school.  Again, there's that idea of "sending out" as these students prepare to graduate, also, and in many cases attend public school for the first time.

Our university system is also "sending out" - placing many Pastors, Teachers and other Professional Church Workers into their first place of service in the public ministry.

As I was getting ready to be "sent out" from Chicago to rural Michigan to begin my first teaching assignment, Grandpa took me aside and said, "Chuck (O.K., actually he said 'Chucky'), when you get to your church up there in Michigan, I want you to remember something.  There are no dumb farmers.  So keep your mouth shut and listen.  Now, after you've been there a while, I want you to remember something else:  There are no dumb farmers.  So don't let those old Germans put anything over on you.  You've been trained in what you do, and you have things they need to hear and learn from you."

Grandpa grew up on a farm in Austria, so he pretty well had the people in my first congregation pegged.  He was absolutely right.  I had lots to learn, and Grandpa didn't want this 'city boy' assuming he knew more than a farmer.  I was grateful for his advice to begin my ministry by listening.

However, I did mess things up one night early in my ministry.  One individual on the Church Council really got under my skin - Ray, the Treasurer.  He questioned everything about spending both in the church and school.  A mentor of mine had told me this happens at times, that some church treasurers come to look at the funds as something they are called upon to personally protect, forgetting that these monies are the church's and school's.

I believe the final straw for me concerned a hammer.  "Teacher, why did you purchase that hammer at Ace Hardware instead of Western Auto?"

My voice rising, I shot back, "Because I was at the grocery store which shares a building with Ace, and Western Auto is on the other side of town and, Ray, why do you always..."

After the meeting Ray came up to me and asked why I was so angry with him.  He didn't have a clue about my growing frustration over his questions.  And then he asked, "Why didn't you ever come and tell me how you felt?"

I felt terrible.  And I apologized and asked his forgiveness.  He truly didn't realize the frustration he was causing me, and for the remainder of my years there, Ray and I always had a good relationship.  I learned something very important that evening about gentleness...and forgiveness.

'Shrewd, or wise as snakes, yet innocent, or gentle as doves.'  Jesus has sent us out into a pretty tough world, and while He doesn't want us to be naive, neither does he want us to be callous or respond to the world in the harsh manner we may often experience.

Jesus, Himself, set that perfect example for us to follow, and He also provides His forgiveness for all those times we fail.