Loving the unloveable

The LORD bless you and keep you!  The LORD let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!  The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

Who among us has not shown contempt for the Holy Spirit?  Oh, we didn’t think of it as contempt, but we didn’t do as we were called, nudged, or pushed.  Have you ever sensed that the Spirit wanted you to love someone you found unlovable?  Certain politicians come to mind, as do some of the clergy and Church hierarchy that have caused so much pain to the Body of Christ.  Have you felt the Spirit nudging you to go a direction that wasn’t the one you wanted to take?  Hate sometimes seems so much easier than love, don’t you think?

Does that mean that you and I are beyond forgiveness?  Is that what Jesus is saying in Mark 3:22-30?  I think not.  So, what sets our “contempt” apart from that of the Pharisees’ behavior?   As I reflect on this gospel, I think contempt or irreverence becomes blasphemy when it is deliberate and public slander.  To blaspheme the Holy Spirit—we are not “merely” disregarding the Holy Spirit, we are publicly and knowingly reviling the Holy Spirit, as when the Pharisees defined Jesus’ behavior as Satanic.

While we may not knowingly revile the Holy Spirit, do you and I always recognize the Holy Spirit among us?  Can I hear the Spirit when He speaks to me in the voice of my enemy?  Or, do I only “hear” evil?  Can I feel the Spirit when He comes in the eyes of the homeless men and women that I see every day when I drive anywhere around town?   Or, do I only feel contempt?  This might not be blasphemy, but it certainly isn’t worthy of one who knows the good news.  

There is so much power in forgiveness.  If we carry our hurts and disappointments with us – those things that have driven us through fits of anger and depression – and relinquish ourselves to a life of unforgiveness, we have failed in our Christian journey.  In forgiving we find joy, strength and most especially peace, and our hearts are enlightened with a spirit of love. Joy can then return to us once more.

Through our unforgiveness, we deny ourselves the grace to be and to do our best for others, as we strive to be as Christ to others.  We don’t have to carry that unclean spirit – we can release ourselves from the chains that keep us bound, separated from the love of Christ, and release the gifts that God has had planned for us all along, whatever those gifts may be.