4 comments

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  Jim

  8 months ago

  This is an intriguing article and it hits home for me. I too am new to this grass roots way of Jesus. And to complicate matters further, I am in the Army. Although I am in Iraq right now, I am in a non-combat job, and I have about five months left in the Army (only two months left over here). I plan on comleting my contract and joining Veterens For Peace after I'm out.
  
  I've been having many conversations with my roomate about the way of peace, and it has been challenging. He is of the opinion that we will always need an Army because there will always be tyrants and despots in the world who are willing to oppress and destroy the peaceful. I say that we should be working for a society in which we can throw down our weapons and trade the sword for the plow. It seems that we always encounter a paradox. How do we stand up to the tyrant without becoming a tyrant? If I punch the schoolyard bully in the face, have I not become the bully?
  
  I've had to question myself and dig deep in my convictions. It is easy to espouse peace and nonviolence while I live in a place where the threat of violence is relatively low. I have to ask myself how far would I go? Would I take a bullet and die for what I believe? I know that Jesus and his first followers did just that, so for me, I must engage in much prayer and soul searching to know that I am willing to follow in his footsteps should it be required of me.
  
  I enjoyed the article. May our Father bless you in your journey.
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  emajyn

  8 months ago

  Jim-
  Thanks for spilling your guts. I'm interested in how you came to your convictions being in the military. If you don't mind sharing sometime.
  emajyn@gmail.com
  I feel what your saying about encountering the paradox, and sitting and wrestling with those questions guides our Jesus quest to explore the depths of what love is. It's unnerving and a vulnerable place to come to to realize the costs of following our Messiah. I run away from that place more often than not. I'm thankful for your reminder to walk in those footsteps is the way of true life.
  blessings on your quest as well brother.
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  espiritu_paz

  8 months ago

  Actually--had a similar sort of thing happen a few years back. My boyfriend had just given me a ride to me vehicle that was sitting along the curb in a neighborhood I was not too familiar with. We parked behind my vehicle and sat and talked. Honestly, that was all we were doing! As we sat and talked, I noticed the nice lady in front of who's home we were. I laughed and talked and smiled at her and my boyfriend through the open window of my car. She worked in her yard and talked on the phone. ...Suddenly, there were bright lights in the rear view mirror and officers stepping up to either side of my bf's car. I was perplexed until they started asking questions and the lady in the yard yelled out a "thank you, it's about time!" at the officers. I felt a surge of anger I have not felt for a very long time. I became uncooperative and indignant with the officers after they told me they had to figure out if this was a prostitution deal going down. I was furious. They put the bf into handcuffs and put him in the back of their vehicle, but later had to let him go because they had nothing.
  The next morning I couldn't find any police reports about the incident and after realizing I was powerless, I realized I had to put to rest all the imaginations of revenge I had toward this woman or I would self-destruct in my anger. I began putting small gifts--a plant, a basket of fresh tomatoes--on her doorstep with a note--from your friendly neighbor, I signed. Why did I bother? I had to fight my own anger strategically and this woman's fear of crime in her neighborhood. I had to do the opposite of what I wished to do--drop off my trash in her yard and give her a better perception of that which truly existed in her neighborhood--goodhearted people, who just want to sit and talk on the curb. Interestingly enough my small group / intentional community found out about it and some were amazed. Others considered it too difficult for themselves. For me it is the only way a follower of Jesus goes about living a normal life.
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  emajyn

  8 months ago

  I'm grateful and encouraged to hear your story! Jesus following leads us to peculiar actions after processing our initial human tendencies. I love hearing about the creative acts of bringing peace to your heart and hopefully the cop calling lady. Great ideas of leaving gifts on her doorstep. May the normal weirdness of Jesus following continue....
  peace
  reply