Witness Protection

Several weeks ago, my friend and I were approached by a woman who bombarded us with religious rhetoric. I had met this woman once before, and people who read my blogs or know me personally, I try my best to simplify religious rhetoric with one simple message: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". It is really that simple, but... many people have been convinced that their study is the only way, and are hell-bent on "pushing" their rhetoric down people's throats. My friend was very disturbed by this woman, and unfortunately, I didn't handle the situation properly as I was working within earshot of the bombardment; besides, I need to process what just happened.

As it would happen, last week I had run into this woman on several occasions, and I now had the opportunity to speak to her about her religious dogmatic rhetoric and how uncomfortable she made my friend feel. It would appear that it fell on deaf ears. Shut it down! This seems to be the response now from so many in the religious CULTure. I have studied the art of manipulation, the spells, and how many groups started from this mindset of the Round Table perpetrators. But, I am somehow flawed in my thinking, that Governing Bodies are somehow immune from the deception, or are the direct links to God, Allah, JHWH, or the Universe. "You can't be right", the deaf & blind pioneers of the culture collective insist. They are the witness protection team, and they're winning the battle over the pain and suffering in the world by setting up the next Pop-up magazine rack on every corner of the world. It's remarkable!

After a few meetings this week, I finally realized that I need to "Shut it down". If I am being completely honest and transparent, I am a man witnessing to a single woman, and it is not my place; this can be misconstrued, words taken out of context, or misunderstood intentions. I felt convicted. I was pouring too much energy into this person, when we are clearly divided, and she is not my project. So... I sent a message thanking this woman for her time and wishing her the best in her future endeavours.

The next morning, Sunday, she sent out an APB (All points bulletin) by text that a fellow member of their organization had broken down in our small town. I am assuming that I received this message by accident, or it was her strange test to live up to my religious rhetoric. I decided to call the man who needed help and got the lowdown on the situation. "It's Sunday!", a deep voice of reason deep down in my heart, I didn't want to help; I had the tools but not the parts.  Besides, what benefit is it to me?

I went about my day doing my own thing. After a long, exhausting week, I decided to settle in for the evening, about 7 PM. Something was tugging inside me to call the man to see if he had found the parts (special rims and tires), secretly hoping I was off the hook with any involvement. To my amazement, he was having a delivery of rims and tires within the hour. I felt conflicted, should I stay and relax at home or help? It took a few minutes, but I decided to throw on some pants and a shirt and get the tools for the job. Not to get into the full details, but he was hoping to leave first thing in the morning to get back to his wife and kids, now it appeared that he could. He was incredibly grateful.

He seemed financially strapped, an assumption on my part, but sometimes you know. He offered me some money, to which I replied, "Do whatever is in your heart". His circumstance was an inconvenience, and everyone in his organization, all 144,000 (being facetious), decided that his circumstance would burden their day. Let's be honest, the world that so many people want begins in the heart. My time, my money, my resources. So many people join organizations for networking and making disciples; those disciplined enough to hang in there will get a reward of riches, and I'm no different. 

I'm a hypocrite, not consciously, but deep down, everything I do is based on some secret expectation of a blissful reward. I want to be loved, liked, praised, or admired. We live in a world of criticism, it's never good enough is what I often hear.  Most people are always looking for flaws, not flattery...

I digress, 
In the case of the broken-down man, I grudgingly went about the job. The zealous woman showed up, and I now had an opportunity to share. It isn't about the buildings that we congregate in, the friends and family we feed, or the amount of useless garbage we donate to our favourite charity. It is truly about sacrificing our own will for the will of others. Or to put it another way, "Do unto others as you would have them do to you".

Religious zealots are all around us. They claim to be witnesses of the Most High God. What did they witness? They protect their rhetoric behind religious dogma, never shopping long enough to listen and see that they are protecting theology, not promoting the love of God, Allah, the Universe, or most importantly, Jesus. Jesus the spirit, not Jesus the man. Jesus, the man, was put on public display to show us what happens to people who step out of line.

Jesus, the spirit, is a change of heart when you see someone in distress and help them. Jesus, the spirit, that spurs us to do the right thing when we just want to be left alone and do our own thing. Jesus, the spirit, that encourages us to praise one another, instead of criticizing. Jesus, the spirit, that finds love even in the depths of hate and anger. 

Be witnesses and protect the teachings of Jesus, not in a building, an organization, or a secret round table discussion, but rather in your heart. I was reminded that you get what you give. When it comes to matters of the heart, if you give love, the natural response is to love back. The opposite is also true regarding hate and anger. 

Be a vessel... 

Sincerely,
​William John  

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