Power: Give People The Good

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.

Proverbs 3:27

He really offended me. My feelings were hurt, and I was angry. He may have been right on the issue he raised, but I never got that far. My feelings were so wounded that I never considered the issue, only how I had been mishandled. I could easily have seethed and brooded over it for days.

Do you sometimes succeed at the task but fail at the relationship? Dealing with life’s business consists of two parts. First is the issue or task itself, and then there is how you handle people. A sad matter is to win the point but mutilate the relationship. Relationship success ranks every bit as important as task success.

By the next morning, I had worked through the exchange from the previous afternoon and was content to forgive and forget. I needed no apology. I was prepared to turn the other cheek, not in any self-righteous way, but from a conviction that we are usually better off to let the little ones go.

When I saw him again, I noticed his discomfort. He blurted out, “I love you, Pat.” I could see the fear of loss in his eyes. Instantly the balance of power had shifted 100 percent to me. By only the slightest hesitation, I could drive a stake of guilt into him and establish a foothold of power.

I could have said, “I appreciate you saying so. I’m tied up right now, so let’s talk about it later.” And so I would have sinned. To withhold such good—whether a thing or an attitude—when it is in our power to act displeases God. “Do not say to your neighbor,‘Come back tomorrow’—when you now have it with you” (Proverbs 4:28). To do so is the most cunning abuse of power.

What relationships have you mishandled? Where have you abused the balance of power? Do not withhold good when it is in your power to act.

I SURRENDER

Lord, I confess I have abused my power. I drive wedges to gain the upper hand. Help me to give people what they are due, to give them what You would give. Amen.