The First To Die

So my sister called me this morning with, "check this out, I don't think anyone has ever had this thought before...", being the first thing out of her mouth. And immediately several things went through my head, like...

• No Rebecca, everyone HAS already realized that I am way cooler than you
  
• Actually Rebecca, we are all ALREADY aware that toilet paper was a good invention
  
• Well actually, everyone IS disturbed by the way Bob the builder was completely replaced by Handy Manny, very suspicious, clear conspiracy.
  

But she just kept talking while my brain kept imagining how she would finish this sentence.

And she finished with...

"even though Abel was the first person to ever die, that made him the FIRST person to EVER stand in the presence of God in heaven".

Hmmm, that wasn't one of the ideas running through my head.

If you're familiar with the story you may remember that Cain & Abel were the first two brothers of humanity; sons of Adam & Eve. And like all brothers, there was rivalry!

The story can be read HERE

Brothers are always trying to outdo each other and apparently with these two it wasn't any different, and the need to "outdo" for Cain, even extended into how he related to God. So, out of jealousy, Cain killed Abel. Usually the story ends here in our minds with regard to Abel. But, what a cool thought that my little sis had this morning.

Abel's tragedy became for him the experience of a life time that NO OTHER human ever got to have.

See, Abel was not just the first person to get to heaven, but in being the first he was there alone with God in full & pure form with NO OTHER human to have to share him with; at least for a while. That's BEAUTIFUL!

Often we kick the ground and get angry when things don't go our way, when life takes a U turn, when our plans don't seem to be working out, when people we love hurt us...
It's always easier to immediate get angry and think, "why me", "this isn't fair", "what did I do to deserve this", and then usually we find a person to blame for the situation we are in.

We blame our boss, a friend, our spouse, our kids, a co-worker; we look for our Cain to blame.

Now, I'm not trying to downplay that there are times in life that each of us have been mistreated, abused, and betrayed; some of us horribly so.

BUT - I wonder if some of us are so angry at our Cain that in our anger and imaginative revenge scenarios, are we oblivious to, and MISSING the fact that we are now standing in the presence of God.

I know that some of us have experienced horrible hurt & abuse by someone that we trusted and I am NOT downplaying that, or trying to say that some how what they did was actually good for us. But God is clear that He is powerful enough to take even the worst things done to us and squeeze something beautiful out of it.

It's what the apostle Paul was saying when he wrote in Romans 8:28,

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

What your "Cain" intended for evil, God will use for good & the best "GOOD" that God has to offer to us is always more of Himself, deeper relationship, more beautiful connection with His presence & love. We don't know what Abel did when he entered into heaven but I'm pretty certain he didn't stand at the edge of the heaven, staring back to earth & swearing at his stupid brother.

Whatever your Cain experience has been, if you're still standing at the edge of it, swearing at your stupid brother, then I pray you would TURN AROUND and see not only that God is there, but that He is waiting to birth something beautiful out of something painful.

This leads to our guerrilla lovers assignment for today.

I've been thinking about this one for a week, and I think now is a perfect time for it.

Who is your Cain? What would it look like for you to forgive them. If you're like me then you just went in your mind to the person that for you is the most difficult to forgive and you're thinking, "how the HECK am I going to do that!?!?".

Slow down tonto!

Start for today with someone else. Now, whoever the "most difficult person" is for you, I am not asking you to not eventually apply this to them, It's just that I realize there are some people that the process of forgiving is not going to be easy or quick. But, there are some "Cains" that we can more easily begin to forgive, and until we do I don't think we will see how Jesus is there in it with us, or how He is using it.

Talk to Jesus about how to do this. Do you write a letter, get together, or is this a decision you make in your heart today and then communicate it to them somehow latter. Jesus will lead you with wisdom if you ask Him.

Jesus, please grant us grace and strength to be the forgiveness you have been to us.