1 Peter 5:5
In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The movie 42, written and directed by Brian Helgeland, tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the National Baseball League. Robinson was mistreated at every turn by fellow players, hotel managers, bus drivers, restaurant staff, and other teams…because of his race. His owner, Branch Richey, insisted that Robinson not react to the taunts and abuse from others. He believed that this just encouraged those who were mistreating Robinson… that they wanted him to react to their hatefulness… to give them a reason to say, “See… he doesn’t belong in baseball!”
The movie does a good job of depicting how difficult things were for Jackie Robinson and his family… how he struggled with the abuse and mistreatment. But I also read a recent interview with Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel, in AARP Magazine, where she divulged that Jackie frequently left the baseball field and went to a driving range after games and practices. There, he would hit golf balls… sometimes for hours… until his anger and hurt subsided. Only then would he come home.
Jackie Robinson found a way to accept the authority of his owner…to humble himself to the influence of his leaders. He didn’t necessarily accept the abuse and racism of others; but he chose to react in a way that was unexpected and contrary to the effect his enemies desired. By doing so, he honored God, his family, and himself. He maintained his dignity and made God proud.
There are many times when we have to choose whether to do what people expect and react in a certain manner… or to humble ourselves and respond differently. A good example of this is when fellow “Christians” are being critical of those who think otherwise… participating in name calling or derogatory remarks toward certain persons or groups of people…or even speaking out on certain social issues and creating a “buzz” that often is more harmful than if they had remained silent. If we “chime in” and add our support, we may feel better (at least temporarily), but we are not acting as God’s humble servants… and His work is not furthered by these actions and behaviors.
In essence, there are times when we all need to “go to the driving range and hit a few buckets of balls” (at least figuratively). We need to choose to hold our tongues, keep our opinions to ourselves, and refrain from jumping on the latest bandwagon. Our Ultimate Leader is God Almighty… and we must accept His authority and operate in a way that serves His will and makes Him proud. We would all do well to check ourselves often to see if we are operating in humility… to ask if what we are saying and doing pleases God and furthers His Kingdom. If we find that we are doing anything less, we probably should choose to go in a different direction.
©2013 Debbie Robus
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