Late one evening, as I sat reading, I heard the sad mewing of a lost kitten. I put my jacket on and went outside to see if I could find the pitiful source of all the crying.
Underneath my house was a small frightened kitten! I tried and tried to get the poor kitty out but it kept backing away from my coaching hand because it was afraid.
No doubt, it had been badly treated and the memory made the poor thing a scaredy cat. Wanting so much to reassure the little cat that not every venture ends badly; I lay a trail of meat scraps and was finally able to overshadow the kitten’s bad memories with good ones.
Sometimes, Christians can be “scaredy”. One Barna study among un-churched adults shows that nearly four out of every ten non-church going Americans (37{03cfc460ee471696895095d15914aa94e2affa08ca8863622c4ab45d0198dbc7}) said they avoid churches because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people.”
When I walk away from fellowship with God’s family because somebody in church has hurt me; sometimes, that “person” isn’t even aware that I’ve been hurt! Nobody can make the decision to stop going to church for me; that’s a choice that I make and satan dances in glee if I do that.
Because of another person’s immaturity or callousness, I’m now dealing with my own anger, bitterness and un-forgiveness. Un-forgiveness is a sin (Matthew 6; 14-15). When I let the callous or sinful behavior of somebody else lead me into sin—then who loses? I DO. Who wins? Satan does.
Running away from what hurt me might make sense on the surface, but, when leaving does more damage than the original hurt, where’s the wisdom? Scripture tells me that the devil runs around LOOKING for ways to destroy me; why should I be surprised when what the Bible says turns out to be true (I Peter 4:12-16)?
When I allow myself to be angry and bitter, I’m handing satan a tool to use against myself! Only when I understand that satan is at the root of every disagreement, every hurt, every neglect, can I rise above what EVER is used against me (John 10:10). Just like the scared little kitty hiding under the house, I need to come out and allow new, good experiences to replace the bad ones.
People in the church and out in the world can be thoughtless and insensitive. I have no control over the attitudes or ways of others. The only thing that I DO have control over is to make sure that I’m not one of the people who CAUSE pain!
God knows all the tricks of the devil and has equipped me for battle. Through the blood of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit, I have the tools to stand strong and not be dissuaded from having relationship with God’s people. I know who I AM and I refuse to be a scaredy cat and let satan rob me of the very thing God intended to encourage me; fellowship!
Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.