14 January 2008
The Cancer’s not worth the Vitamin C
This is actually a follow up to my middle of the night post yesterday, the other side of the same coin…
All that restlessness over wolves among sheep…read here to catch up. I’m not finished sorting through this one. I mean, sure we need to be careful to identify wolves because some can merely be hurting sheep and if we misdiagnose the problem we might find ourselves slaughtering innocent sheep. On the other hand, miss a wolf and you run the risk of it running wild among the helpless flock.
And I mean helpless. Unless the sheep call on their heavenly Shepherd (Jesus) they stand no chance against even a lone wolf. Seriously, just how many sheep does it take to beat a wolf?
Answer? The number is infinite, because sheep refuse to work together. They only run, or scatter, they never stop to think that 20 or 30 of them together could easily take on a lone wolf. The shear (no pun intended) weight of them could crush the intruder. But that’s just it, sheep never work together. That’s why a lone wolf among sheep is just as bad as a pack of wolves — except that the pack would do more damage in a shorter amount of time. But one wolf could keep on killing until he grew tired of it. No sheep is going to stand up to it.
That’s why I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s best to hit it head on—even if you are wrong. You can always apologize. Just own up to your mistake and explain to the wolf impersonator(s) that they need to be careful that their actions are not misinterpreted. If their hearts are right, they will take it and learn from it. If they get angry and leave in a huff…well…what kind of animal huffs?
“Or I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down!”
Sounds like a wolf to me! Turns out you were dealing with a wolf after all. So better to err on the side of caution and check quickly to see who or what you are actually up against. Because one things for sure. The cancer is not worth the vitamin C!
Oh, I better explain…
The other day I was talking to a friend in ministry who was trying his best to convince me that a couple in his church really did mean well. First of all, whenever I hear this I automatically grow skeptical. People who always ‘mean well’ don’t always ‘behave well.’ He was referring to a couple who constantly undermined leadership, had nothing in common with the vision and direction of the church, hated the pastor and said the church was full of clicks. He was desperately trying to figure out what to do with these otherwise very servant-hearted people. That’s when I blurted out the title of this post,
Sounds like, ‘The Cancer’s not worth the Vitamin C.’
Vitamin C has a lot of uses. It’s good for staving off colds, it’s part of the 3 musketeers of antioxidants (C, E and A). It’s a very necessary supplement—especially if you were a sailor in the 1600’s—nothing like a few grapefruits or oranges to fight off scurvy.
But the last time I checked, vitamin C didn’t do much for cancer. But when we talk about church work, spiritual scurvy is always present before a church sickens into a Cancerous Cathedral. So be kind to servants and volunteers. Thank God for those who come along side you in the work to further God’s Kingdom, but never,
NEVER…
allow someone to use the excuse of, ‘but what about all I’ve done for this place?’ to justify ungodly and divisive behavior.
The cancer’s not worth the vitamin C.
Ever.
2 Comments currently posted.
Terri Crites says:
an anonymous sheep says:
Sheep do sometimes band together against the wolf. We do sometimes recognize him, or them (if a couple).
It’s just that sheep who look to the Heavenly shepherd don’t always voice what’s going on loud enough for all to hear, including our church leaders. We may be taking on the wolf according to Matthew 18, being very careful to avoid gossip and praying for the individual(s) to come around.
As several of us sheep see a wolf and together work to take the wolf head on, the wolf gets anxious and begins to step up the prowl. A wolf can be someone we are hoping will recognize where they have hurt others and openly change. So us sheep will let them know what we see and wait to see the proper heart revealed through their changed actions and confessions.
In time, the wolf will choose to stay with the proper heart or will choose leave. We wait, but we’re not being devoured. The Heavenly Shepherd watches, and the church is protected by Him.
Pastor Rob,
I am really enjoying this series on your blog.
Since, I now understand more that it is very difficult to know when you are dealing with a wolf or a sheep.
All I can say is after reading this ,I will pray for you and the other Pastors to give you Wisdom and Discernment in this.
Thanks for giving me more to think about and search scripture for understanding in.