Hey, Family

I learned a valuable lesson about humility today.  We had a wonderful chapel
service, with all of the chaplains from those two courses I manage gathered
for the last time for their graduation.  Singing a medley of hymns in a room
full (about 120) of mostly men's, mostly trained voices.  Great stuff.
During the sermon, the chaplain quoted Isaiah 53:7 speaking about JESUS at
His trial and crucifixion:   "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He
did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a
sheep that is silent before its shearers. So He did not open His mouth."
The Holy Spirit gave me a poke in the ribs at that point about it applying
to me, but I just said "Oh, He must mean about how people have been jealous
of my new duties."  and let it pass.

After the graduation I called together a meeting of folks who had been
involved with the class to evaluate how it had gone and think of ways to
improve it for next time.  I included one person who was one of the jealous
ones and whom I had insisted be recognized with an award by our boss anyway
not an hour before.  Well, during the meeting she begins to accuse me of all
sort of things, including not inviting her to the meeting (though I had just
done exactly that five minutes before), unprofessionalism and you name it,
attacking me fiercely.  The irony was that the things she was blaming me for
were things she had lied to me about and set me up as the fall guy for.  I
sat and sat, shocked that none of the officers in the room said a thing.  My
feelings were very hurt that they didn't defend me from the lies and began
to defend myself but they cut me off which seemed unfair to me.

However, afterward, as I confronted them and asked why they had let her talk
to me like that and had sat there as I got attacked, they reminded me of the
chapel service.  JESUS was attacked, too, but just remained silent.  The sad
part is, had I remained silent, they would have been blessed by my doing
just as the Scripture had said JESUS did.  But having spoken up to defend
myself, I tarnished that blessing for them. For it was obvious each of them
had thought of that service and Scripture applying to me as I was being
attacked.

That's a lesson in humility for me.  Next time I'm attacked I'll know it is
saying more about the person doing the attack than about me, and that like
JESUS I can stay silent and leave the LORD to answer for me in His own way
and time.  Maybe there's a lesson someone else on the list needs to hear for
the present or the future as well.

Paul