Wolves--the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Wolves. Beautiful--but dangerous. They stalk their prey mercilessly; they are, in fact, labeled endurance predators--they're in it for the long haul, until they get their prey. Stalking the weak ones, the ones that lag behind away from the herd, preying on their weaknesses ...

It's the same in the spirit world. Our enemy looks for the weak ones, the lone ones who are separated from the flock (Ding! Ding! Ding! Score one for an important reason to stay in church!!!!), and he stalks mercilessly, persistently. It can be scary ... but when the wolf comes in sheep's clothing, the pain can be downright devastating.

Last week in my blog I quoted Habakkuk 3:17-18. There the prophet proclaims that he will rejoice in the Lord no matter what, even if everything in life is falling apart. God doesn't just throw words out there in His Word simply because they make a good sound bite. He is God the Creator, purposeful and exact; every word in His Book is there for a specific reason. Which is why one of the sad truths Habakkuk refers to, "the labor of the olive shall fail," is heart wrenching.

In Scripture, we, God's children, are likened unto olive trees (Hosea 14:6). If we belong to God, our "labor," what we do, what we say, all should be able to stand the test of transparency, be handy dandy, the cat's meow, very gucci--after all, we are children of the Most High God, right? Our lives, what we say and do, should reflect that. But Habakkuk dares to say that the labor (fruit) of the olive tree might actually fail. Huh? Despite being olive trees, we who in theory are the crème de la crème, might end up totally trashing what we are supposed to do???? What makes matters worse, spiritual wrecks often result in collateral damage.

I should have seen it coming. I should have known something was not right. I had seen some questionable actions but hey, who's perfect? Plus he had such a sad story (his wife had left him to raise their children alone), he sang so beautifully to the Lord, he was so friendly ... I thought too highly of the pastor of our church in Mexico to even consider that something was "not right" with him spiritually. Yet the time came when, with grieving hearts, some of his dubious actions caused us, Auntie and I, to leave his church.

Then came the day when Sister X (name withheld to protect her privacy) came to beg advise from Auntie. Widowed after having two miracle babies, she worked at the small shop her husband had left her in the marketplace. In case you've been in a bubble all your adult life, you should be aware of the fact that attractive widows with a little money = wolves out to get them. And yes, the wolves certainly came out of the woodwork after her. How, she begged Auntie, was she to know who was "real" and who was after her worldly goods?

Among the hordes following after her was a young man from church. Although not rich in worldly goods, he had a good Christian testimony, professed love for her, and was kind to her children. Also among the hordes, our former pastor. He wanted to court her. She didn't feel any inclination towards him, but he told her she would go to hell if she didn't marry him because it was God's will. After all, he was a pastor with a direct line to God. Who could know better than he what God wanted?

(This is not to the point of this blog, but, just so you know, God will never, ever give you directions through another party. He might confirm what He has told you through other people and circumstances, but He will always speak to you Himself [1 John 2:27]).

Sister X was totally confused. Well, more scared than anything. What if she didn't marry the pastor and it really was God's will and she ended up going to hell? Sigh ... this might sound stupid to you but you know sheep. That's their middle name (and I should know! 99% of the mistakes I've made as a Christian have been because I moved in stupidity caused by fear).

On multiple occasions--and always at her behest--Auntie counseled and prayed with the dear girl (she was actually quite young) but ... you can lead a sheep to water, but you can't make him (or her) drink. The fear got her. The wolf won.

She ended up marrying the pastor. He, in turn, successfully ran the store her first husband had left her into the ground--in between beatings, that is (that's when we found out he used to beat his first wife--so that was why she had left him!). There's more to the story, but that's the gist of it. As you might guess, they eventually divorced and, after a boatload of grief, the widow/divorcee married the young Christian guy she should have married to begin with. What a mess. What broken lives filled with grief and pain. And the collateral damage? Totally confused Christians who quit going to church and/or turned their backs on God because of this horrific scandal.

The question, my friends, begs asking: how can a minister who led people to the very presence of God through his worship do such a low-down ugly thing? How can he take on the characteristics of a vicious wolf? Because, like Habakkuk said, sometimes the olive trees don't act too "olivey" and botch things up. It is precisely in the face of such horrific events when we need to turn to Jesus and say, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, but I will love You and worship You anyway!"

Such a Habakkukian attitude, my friends, separates the milk bottle Christians from the mature meat eaters of the Word. Jesus gave us a promise on which you will hardly ever hear a sermon. He said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." Walking with Jesus is not all roses. There will be thorns in our paths. And, sad to say, some of those thorns will be in the shape of beautiful olive trees that do not give the fruit they should. If you, as I, have walked many days with the Lord, most likely you have seen Christians fall by the wayside because of the horrible actions of professed believers. God did not cause those who did questionable things to behave like that. He offered them choices--and they chose wrong. If malfunctioning olive trees have been your friends or ministry partners, the pain can be very real and very deep. But listen up. God told us beforehand that this would happen. He told you so that you wouldn't be blindsided. Now, what are you going to do about it? Turn your back on Jesus and all things Christian in a snit? Or will you turn to Jesus, lay your pain before Him, and say, "I don't understand it, Lord, but I will worship You anyway. I will not turn from You. No matter what."

A new year is upon us. A year filled with the promise of great things in God. And also a year in which our hearts might be challenged by the egregious actions of wayward olive trees. What will you choose to do? When pain comes, that's the time to hang on to Jesus.

"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness (the pain of life), leaning upon her beloved?" (Song of Solomon 8:5) Auntie loved this verse. She saw it as the quintessential picture of the victorious Christian--leaning on Jesus.