Hammer on Anvil '

A couple of weeks ago on this blog, my friend Hannah shared about a crotchety older man she had encountered in a parking lot. He had taken note of an arm patch on her coat that says "Satan Sucks." He asked her if the patch was intended to be a testimony to the Lord, but when she began to explain, he cut her off rudely. Bottom line is that he didn't care what she had to say. He was offended by the patch, and in no uncertain terms let Hannah know she was a "poor testimony" to the Lord. This man had never met Hannah before in his life (which is probably why he was so grouchy), yet he had the audacity to insinuate that she wasn't as holy as he was because she wore a patch that said "sucks."

And he wasn't even theologically correct in his arguments. He suggested that perhaps calling Satan a "rascal" might be less offensive. Excuse me? Calling the enemy of our souls a mere "rascal" doesn't do him justice. Satan comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy.

My theory is that this man's faith is so marginal that, to him, Satan is nothing more than a rascal. You see, if your "faith" consists of attending church three times a week, and not cursing or drinking, you aren't much of a threat, and Satan leaves you alone.

If, however, you seek to honor God in all that you do, and daily offer yourself to Him as a living sacrifice, you can bet on a battle. John 16:33 says "in this world you will have tribulation." James says we will face trials of many kinds. In Ephesians, we are told to stand against the devil's schemes by daily clothing ourselves with the armor of God.

The day after Hannah's blog posted, I read something in my daily devotional (Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest) that reminded me of what she had experienced:

Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. 

What a perfect description of Hannah's encounter. The man was obviously focused on his own whiteness. Had he really cared about Hannah and what her patch meant, he would have engaged her in conversation and let her speak. But every time she tried, he interrupted. It was clear that his opinion was the only one that was valid. A word he deemed inappropriate blinded him to the wonderful truth that Hannah could have imparted had he given her half a chance.

I told Hannah about a similar experience our son, Josh, had with an elderly man several years ago. Josh and some of his friends were hanging around the square downtown, when this man confronted them and basically told them they were all going to hell because of how they looked. He was so offended by tattoos and piercings that he couldn't see straight. He angrily told Josh, "If God would've wanted us to have tattoos and piercings, we would have been born with them!" Josh remained calm as he replied, "Really, sir? Were you born with those glasses?" Touché! The man was so flabbergasted by Josh's logic that he stomped off. It's hard to argue with intelligence when you are being so ignorant.

Brothers and sisters, abandonment to God is infinitely more precious to Him than our vain attempts at holiness. Hannah exudes that abandonment, which is probably why the man she met was so hostile. When genuine love for God meets up with ugly legalism, a clash is inevitable.

Let us endeavor to not be so priggish about how others express their faith. The patch that Hannah sports is dear to her because it is accurate. She has been through stuff that has earned her the right to say "Satan Sucks." Let us ask God to help us see others as He sees them, instead of through our prideful arrogance that wants to believe we're always right. Above all, let us live the Jesus Creed -- loving God and loving others.